


A World Divided

by Danistalley12



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/F, F/M, Romance, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-16 08:29:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5821399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danistalley12/pseuds/Danistalley12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Sequel to Lead Me Home*<br/>It's been 261 days since the vaccine was first used on patient zero, Clarke Griffin and the world could not have been more of a different place. It was something that was supposed to improve the world, it was designed to rid the land of infected and cure the virus within every survivor but all it actually did was make things worse. The rebuilt military faced many obstacles, with both the dead and the living but in the middle of all of it; Commander Lexa was just trying to keep her squad alive. New threats are established, lines are blurred and loyalties are tested but what Lexa and her squad are set to face will determine whether they each live or die in the harsh reality they now find themselves in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! It's been a while and I know I still owe anyone who is interested the end of inevitable (Which will happen) but I wanted to get started on this story so here it is. This is the sequel to lead me home and the focus is going to shift quite a bit from the infected (Who will still be around obviously) to those who are still alive. I'll update this as often as I can, I am hoping for 2 days a week or at the very least a weekly update. 
> 
> Without any further talking though, I hope you like it and I hope everyone has been well.

**Days since Vaccine: 261**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Location : Unknown**

 

Lexa glanced behind her with wide eyes as her heavy feet struggled to carry her body through the empty streets of an abandoned housing estate, the heat of the hot sun beating down unforgivingly on her skin and only making it more difficult for her to push herself as far as she needed to go. She was surrounded by relative silence, being able to hear the sounds of her pounding heart, her panicked footsteps and her laboured breathing as the subtly drowned out the distant sounds of moans and hissing that echoed behind her. She looked behind her once more, losing focus as she found herself tripping over her own feet and stumbling to the ground, her palms scraping against the hot asphalt below her.

 

She was uncharacteristically shaken; only hours ago she had witnessed the entire group of refugees she had been sent to rescue being eaten alive by a horde of infected, only managing to escape herself by inches. She had been separated from her squad days ago, they went into the mission knowing how dangerous it would be; not only because of the changing environment of the outside but also because of the very people who were on the outskirts of that particular area.

 

She was alone, completely isolated in the middle of nowhere literally running for her very life. She hadn’t seen Clarke, Lincoln, Octavia or Raven in days after she had been separated from them, not even knowing what had happened after she was forced to make a difficult decision and split from her squad. She hadn’t seen Echo or Bellamy in longer; taking the other vehicle back to Fort Woods after they had picked up a number of people on their travel towards their original mission began to weaken.

 

If Lexa had thought that the world had gone to hell before the vaccine had been created, she didn’t know how to describe it after the vaccine had been produced. The vaccine was supposed to help, it was supposed to eradicate the virus and in some ways it did but in other ways; it just made everything so much worse.

 

Somehow, a different strain of infection had developed once combined with the vaccine was administered to certain people. At that point, it was common knowledge that everyone who was left alive in the world already had the virus within their system; if someone died without the brain being injured they would come back as an infected. What the scientists and doctors at Fort Woods hadn’t accounted for was the different reactions it could have to people’s bodies and nervous systems and they started to quickly see this new strain on virus spread.

 

People had gotten sick again, after the vaccine was administered to everyone in the rebuilt safe zone, almost half of the population had become gravely unwell and many had succumbed to their sickness. The civilians and soldiers were severely depleted in manpower, almost being overrun by infected as more and more people died as a result of the sickness that had been spreading. The Secretary of State had immediately halted any immunisations after that point, admitting defeat in the fact that the vaccine wasn’t completely ready and they weren’t sure if it was ever going to be ready.

 

For those who didn’t become sick, the vaccine for all intents and purposes worked. They weren’t actively testing whether they could survive an infected bite and they wouldn’t know unless it actually happened but they had to assume thanks to Clarke’s case that if they weren’t sick, they could survive the infection. The Secretary had continued to allow civilians to come into the compound but the one time condition that they would need to be immunised had been lifted. That’s why the decision to stop immunisations hadn’t gone down so well with some lower ranked soldiers; they didn’t want to live in a place with civilians who were from the outside could pose a risk by dying and turning into an infected like had previously happened.

 

Lexa almost didn’t blame them, she knew first hand how quickly a situation could spiral out of control and how one unaccounted infected could cause chaos within Fort Woods but she agreed completely with the decision. She was the second person to be immunised, she didn’t hesitate after she and Clarke had come out of isolation a week after she had been bitten. She would always be grateful to whoever was looking out for her; they had given her extra days that maybe she didn’t deserve just because Clarke had lived.

 

The vaccine had prevented Clarke’s otherwise imminent death, somehow saving her from turning into an infected after she had been bitten the same day that very vaccine had been administered. Clarke didn’t expect to live; Lexa wasn’t giving anything else another thought when it happened because even at that point she knew she couldn’t live without the blonde anymore. Clarke was the very thing that woke Lexa up in the morning, she was the one reason she pushed through moments like she was going through at that very second.

 

That wasn’t the reason why Lexa thought the world had worsened dramatically though, it was because of the people on the outside of the walls of Fort Woods. It was because there were people who didn’t want help from the military, people that wanted what they had or they plain and simply just didn’t want help. Like Lexa had predicted in the very beginning of the rebuild, some people didn’t want any law emerging because they were living in a world where there were no rules. They had faced many shoot outs and battles with bandits, Lexa almost losing a squad member in a few of them. Tensions between bandits and the military was at an all-time high, the bandits going after any military personnel they could get their hands on and treating their deaths as some kind of sick prize. She didn't understand why they were going after the military, she didn't understand why they would fight each other when they had so many other things to fight against. 

 

She wasn’t confident she was going to find a way out at that moment though, she was very low on ammo whilst running from a horde filled with fresh infected that were stronger and faster than those that had been wandering around for a while like the majority of them were. On top of that, she had been separated from her squad, from Clarke, for over three days thanks to a group of bandits that had been chasing them; outnumbering Lexa and her squad greatly.

 

Lexa pushed herself back to her feet as she saw three infected turning the corner on their approach towards her. She fired off two shots, killing one and hitting another in the chest as it rushed towards her; doing enough to make it stumble backwards so she could pull her pistol from her holster, firing off two shots and not making the same mistake again by dropping both infected. She heard loud engines in the distance through the silence, knowing that the bandits hadn’t lost her like she had hoped they had and seeing as she had a horde of infected on her tail she could only run and not hide.

 

She didn’t know where her squad were, she had been running towards what she thought was the direction of Fort Woods but she couldn’t be sure. Slinging her AR-15 over her shoulder, she looked back once more at the quick moving horde as they turned the corner, pushing herself upwards, stumbling over her feet once more before finally regaining her balance so she could continue to run.

 

Her heart pumped swiftly as she began to wrestle with the possibility that today would be the day that her luck ran out. She hadn’t had so many dreams lately about dying, Costia had mostly left her alone, only appearing every so often but the memories of what she had seen, of everyone she had lost that were never too far from the very front of her mind. She only looked forwards as her legs began to move her as quickly as they could under the exhaustion they were functioning in.

 

Making a split second decision, she veered right conceding she may need to find a safe passage through the abandoned residential area and if she couldn’t, she was going to need a very good place to hide that would not only conceal her from infected but also the bandits whom were after her. She quickly jumped a fence to climb into a backyard, quietly yet quickly walking with her shoulder brushing up against the edge of the house as she heard shots being fired, bandits firing upon the hoard of infected as they tried to clear a path for themselves. She eyed the house across the road as she reached the front of the house she was leaning against, seeing the abandoned structure was open but also that it looked secure enough for her to hide inside.

 

She squeezed her eyes tightly as the cars approached quickly, hearing yelling from a distance as she exhaled shakily; trying to gain her composure for the short dash across the small road, hoping that she could make it without any detection. She re-wrapped her fingers around her pistol, glancing around her briefly before rocking backwards slightly as if to push of from her back leg; only to feel the unmistakably cool sensation of a gun barrel being pressed roughly to the back of her neck.

 

“Move and I shoot.” She heard a voice behind her seethe, Lexa opening her mouth to speak before feeling a butt of the gun against her skull; her world fading to black immediately.

 

\---

 

Lexa groaned as a splitting headache woke her from her unconsciousness, instantly feeling her hands were bound tightly behind her body as she sat on a chair in complete darkness. She exhaled quietly, her neck aching as she turned her head when she tried to take in her surroundings but things were far too dark for her to see anything, against her better judgement panic began to set in at the lack of knowledge about her surroundings. She had no idea where she was so she could have no expectation that anyone else would know the answer to that question either; she just knew that she had more than likely been taken out by the very group of bandits that had been trailing her for days.

 

Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out how she was going to escape the mess she found herself in, she knew that the odds were certainly uneven but she knew she had to find a way to get back to Clarke; she didn’t have a choice. When Lexa made promises, she kept them and staying with Clarke until the end was the greatest promise she had ever made; it was also one she very much intended on keeping.

 

“Good, you’re awake.” She heard a deep voice speak as the door opened, a bright light streaming through the door hitting Lexa’s eyes painfully, causing her to turn her head in order to avoid the sharp thud in the base of her skull, “Too bright for you?”

 

“You know that people are looking for me, right?” Lexa muttered, her voice scratching painfully against the back of her throat, squinting heavily into the light as she tried to force her eyes to adjust “You made a pretty big mistake bringing me in here.”

 

“We chased your squad off, they are far away from here.” He said confidently, his voice muffled by the bandanna covering her face. Lexa saw movement of his head shaking as she glanced up into the light again, “We caught a Commander, you know how these things work. You’re lucky all we did was chase your squad away, we could have easily killed them.”

 

“They would have wiped the floor with you.” Lexa retorted instantly, “I do know how this works; you probably didn’t catch them because they kicked your asses. We’re military, you’re bandits.”

 

“Is that how you justify what is going on in that camp of yours?” He asked with an irritated tone, walking to the side of the room and pulling a chair so he could sit directly in front of a bound Lexa. She saw the side of his jaw clench as the light still cast a shadow over his face that wasn’t covered by his bandana and the soldier couldn’t see a thing behind him but she knew he certainly wasn't alone, “Is that how you justify unleashing that so called vaccine on the world, like things weren’t bad enough; you decided to turn the living into the dead too.”

 

“We didn’t know that was going to happen,” Lexa protested with a shake of her head, her neck aching as she did so, “That vaccine cured people, it cured _me._ ”

 

“You received the vaccine?” He paused momentarily, Lexa seeing a crack in his hard armour as he learnt of this news.

 

“Yes, before we knew it was causing problems. The Secretary stopped vaccinations when we found out that people were actually becoming infected from it. That’s not why we brought this vaccination to the military, we only wanted to help.” Lexa responded with furrowed brows, swallowing thickly as her rough throat ached still, “We only want to help, I know more than anyone that we can’t make the world what it was but we want to help. That’s what this rebuild has been about the whole time.”

 

“You want to help?” He asked with an amused tone, his voice rising in volume as well as skeptisism, “Your corrupt army doesn’t want anything but whatever they can take from whoever is left. You have no idea what is going on and it’s right under your nose.” 

 

“All I’m trying to do is exactly what you are trying to do and that’s survive.” Lexa replied with a tone thick of frustration, “And I’m not going to let you stand in the way of my survival. I will be found soon and if you have me here as a prisoner, you will be killed.”

 

“We aren’t going to be here long, we know that military come in and think they can shoot up whoever or take whatever they want.” He grumbled, sighing loudly at the end of his sentence, “They’ll still find your body here but we’re about to be gone.”

 

“You say I have no idea what is going on under my nose? So tell me. I’m not a low ranked soldier, I can make changes or I can work with you.” Lexa said smartly as she looked around the room, unable to see anything else through the light being shone in her face but wondering whether she could spot something, anything to aid her in the dire situation she found herself in, “I can help.”

 

“I didn’t risk taking you so you could help me.” He grumbled, standing from the chair to deliver a swift blow across Lexa’s cheek. Her ears began to ring as a sharp pain spread throughout her whole body, feeling blood fill her mouth as her teeth cut her tongue like a blade, “This isn’t personal but this has gone on far too long, you have thrown your weight around far too long when we already have enough to deal with. We have the undead to worry about let alone the military just thinking it can do whatever it wants.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Lexa asked in complete frustration, spitting blood beside her as she shook her head quickly, “Throwing our weight around? You kidnapped me for no good reason and you’re going to kill me for no good reason. You are already starting a war you can’t finish.”

 

“Don’t put that on me, your superiors started a war when they ordered attacks on our camps when we refused to go to your compound. Whoever is giving the orders there doesn’t want anyone on the outside strong enough to put a stop to their power,” The bandit growled as he grabbed Lexa by the cheeks tightly, squeezing her face roughly as Lexa grimaced and squinted into the light above her, “We’re not going to be murdered just because we are standing up for our freedom, you can’t take what little we have left from us. We won’t let you.”

 

The next thing she heard were a series of loud gunshots outside the door, knowing exactly what was going on as shouting filled the gaps between the sounds of tactical fire. A bag was quickly placed over her head as she had instant, horrible flashbacks of the moment when she was taken by Dante Wallace but she was quickly pulled away from her own thoughts as she heard the click of a pistol loading in front of her before feeling the solid barrel pressed to her forehead.

 

“This is not personal but I have to send a message to whoever in charge at your compound.” She heard the man’s voice once more before, her eyes closing tightly as she prepared for an abrupt end to her life.

 

A loud gunshot rang through the air, Lexa feeling no pain but the unmistakable splatter of blood against her clothes but as she exhaled deeply; she knew she was still alive. She heard very familiar voices as the bag was pulled from her head swiftly, her eyes adjusting as she blinked roughly to see Clarke kneeling in front of her with a sad yet relieved smile on her face.

 

“You’re a beautiful sight for sore eyes,” She said with her voice just above a whisper, her hand moving to cup Lexa’s cheek tenderly as she saw a welt rising already, “Are you okay?”

 

“I had it covered.” Lexa shrugged her off, her eyes locking on Clarke’s blue orbs as the light was switched off in the room she found herself in, “But you have impeccable timing.”

 

“We always do.” Octavia said as emerged behind Clarke, pulling the hunting knife from the Commander’s sheath to cut the ropes that were binding her hands behind her back, “You look like hell.”

 

“I feel like it,” Lexa responded with a shake of her head, flinching as movement caused a sharp pain to ripple through her body, “How did you find me?”

 

“We can talk about that later,” Lincoln said from the door with a small nod, “For now, we have to get out of here before any of those infected trailing the horde that came through and there are plenty of fresh infected mixed in with the old ones.”

 

“Life was easier before the vaccine made people sick.” Octavia grumbled as she placed the knife back in Lexa’s sheath firmly, giving her Commander a gentle pat on the back, “As easy as an apocalypse can be.”

 

“Come on,” Clarke said quietly, reaching under Lexa’s arm gently and pulling the shaky brunette to her feet, “We have a lot to catch you up on the way home.”

 

Lexa paused as her world spun around her, Clarke watching her carefully and cautiously before the brunette waved her off in her own typical style, taking her first few slow steps towards the door.

 

“Where are we anyway?” Lexa asked gruffly, flinching painfully as her head throbbed as she walked with Clarke’s assistance.

 

“These guys move quickly, this isn’t a place where they have been permanently by the looks of it,” Lincoln said as he took point, heading towards the car; looking vigilantly around him as they went, “We’re lucky that we caught sight of one of them heading back this way.”

 

“They didn’t move anywhere,” Lexa said as she furrowed her eyebrows after they reached the outside of what she now knew was a house in the very same residential area she had been captured in, “They caught me across the street, even in the dark I can see that.”

 

“You ran all this way?” Raven asked from the front door, causing Lexa to flinch in surprise as the other girl pushed off the wall beside her, “You’re getting slow, Commander. I could have killed you.”

 

“Leave her alone, Raven,” Clarke scolded harmlessly, “She’s dehydrated and she’s probably got concussion. It’s not safe out here so we need to get moving and head back to Fort Woods.”

 

“What happened to you a few days ago anyway?” Raven asked with raised eyebrows, “The plan was to all stick together and then we couldn’t find you.”

 

“Well someone had to lead the bandits away from the group, didn’t they?” Lexa asked with a shake of her head, bringing her arm to wipe her mouth of blood on her sleeve, “Please tell me we still have a lot of water.”

 

“Plenty in the truck, we have to go though,” Lincoln said impatiently whilst opening the back door before pointing down the street, “Because I can guarantee that this place will be crawling with infected soon.”

 

“He’s right,” Lexa agreed with a small nod, “Any sign of my gun?”

 

“In the back,” Raven nodded herself, “We grabbed it on the way in, this thing always finds its way back to you.”

 

\---

 

It had been a long drive for the squad as they started their journey back to Fort Woods; they still had a day of travel ahead of them but as the sun set, it was decided that they were safer off the road and finding shelter. Lexa was still extremely weak, she had endured a lot after literally running for her life for the past few days so she had been sleeping for a majority of the time against Clarke’s shoulder as they drove; the blonde holding the brunette close as she slept without her usual disruption.

 

They came across a relatively secure house a few streets away from the main road they were traveling down, clearing it quickly with little issue and setting themselves up for the night. Lexa had offered to take a guard but was quickly shot down by Clarke, who had taken much more of a leadership role within the group in the Commander’s short absence. She knew better than to argue with the blonde even when she wanted to, knowing that she would always lose when they opposed each other on something because Clarke was her weakness as well as her strength.

 

The brunette found herself set up in a room downstairs in the front of the house with the rest of the squad sleeping around her as Lincoln sat by the window on watch. Lexa jerked herself awake violently from the same dream that had haunted her since the day Clarke had been bitten by an infected, the same dream that haunted her to that very moment and a dream that replaced any others she had experienced before. Her sleep was in no way peaceful but her memories of the horrors that Costia’s constant presence brought faded over time and although she remembered the woman she once loved every day, she was faced with another task of ensuring the safety of her squad; the safety of the woman that had come into her life like a whirlwind. A woman that had surely saved her own life just by being in it, knowing that by some luck, someone had sent Clarke to her and that was something she would always be grateful for; even in an apocalypse.

 

She rubbed her eyes roughly, her aching legs pushed her back against the wall so she could sit up and have eyes over the group as they slept; the woman she loved was sleeping peacefully facing with her back to the Commander. Her whole body ached, her head throbbed and her mind was racing with what she had been told by the bandits that had taken her hostage only hours earlier.

 

“You’re supposed to be sleeping, Lexa.” She heard Clarke whisper quietly from beside her, pushing herself up instantly to sit shoulder to shoulder with her girlfriend.

 

“So are you,” Lexa mumbled quietly with a furrowed brow, the light of the full moon spilling through the closed blinds as the brunette glanced to her squad-mate on watch before turning her attention to Clarke, “My head hurts too much to sleep.”

 

“Do you need pain killers?” Clarke asked after a momentary pause, “We have enough.”

 

“We have some, we don’t have _enough_. Someone else might need them; it could be put to better use. Our supply runners aren’t exactly coming back with much these days,” Lexa responded with a slow shake of her head before her voice softened, sighing lightly, “You need to sleep Clarke, I’m fine. We have been on the road for almost a week; you need to sleep when we have the chance.”

 

“You know that I’m not going to sleep when you’re not,” Clarke said simply in a tone that Lexa knew all too well, one of defiance as the blonde reached out to take Lexa’s hand, intertwining their fingers before resting her head on the brunette’s shoulder, “I missed you.”

 

“I missed you too but I had to lead them away, Clarke,” Lexa conceded quickly as she gave the blonde’s hand a gentle squeeze before resting her own head against Clarke’s, “ _Someone_ had to lead them away.”

 

“I know,” Clarke admitted meekly, “Sometimes though, I just wonder when our luck is going to run out or why it always has to be you.”

 

“Our survival is in no way luck,” Lexa spoke quietly yet confidently, “One dead is better than all of our squad and you know that.”

 

“What happened to you and me though?”

 

“I love you Clarke, I’m not going to apologise for trying to keep you as safe as I can.” Lexa grumbled mostly to herself as she heard the blonde woman sigh next to her, knowing how stressful the entire situation would have been for her, “It is you and me, it will always be you and me but we’re okay and we’ll be back at Fort Woods tomorrow afternoon. If I can do something that is going to give you a better chance of surviving then I’m going to do it”

 

“Lexa, you haven’t said a word to us about what happened with the bandits. You haven’t said a word to us about anything, even after we told you what happened to us. I’m not trying to push you but I’m worried,” Clarke spoke honestly after a rare moment of silence passed between the two women, “What did they do to you?”

 

“Nothing.” The Commander responded shortly, exhaling shakily, “They tied me up and the guy punched me, he was about to shoot me until you arrived but that was about it.”

 

“So why haven’t you said a thing about it all?”

 

“I found the refugees, I found all of them.” Lexa admitted with a sigh, looking down to her free hand as it shook by her side. She squeezed her eyes tightly as her head pounded before turning her head to place a gentle yet lingering kiss on the top of the blonde’s head, taking in the comforting, all familiar smell of her wavy hair, “They weren’t where they had told us their pick up location was going to be, they were a few blocks south of their original position. I found them just before that horde started to come through where they were hiding. They were in worse shape than we thought they were going to be; one had a gunshot wound to the shoulder, another looked like he had a broken ankle and no one would tell me what happened to them. They were weak, there were only 6 of them left, they hadn’t eaten in days after being pushed out of their camp by infected, and they had no idea where they were going. They certainly didn’t trust me enough either and if it wasn’t for their leader, they would have locked me out in the middle of the horde.”

 

“So you found them an entire day after you left us?” Clarke pondered quietly, trying to piece Lexa’s words together, “You were running the whole time?”

 

“I was stupid, I was drawing the bandits away from you but I was leading them straight towards the refugees we were out to find. I wasn’t running that way on purpose, in the beginning I was just _running_ ; then I looked at the map and realised that I was actually going the right direction so I just kept going.” Lexa explained slowly, trying to put her sentences together enough to make as much sense of the situation as she could, “We were locked up in an old store, they had set up camp there for that moment and I don’t know what it was but it was like these people hated me before they even met me. They confirmed they had sent a signal out to Fort Woods to request for help but the claimed that a military unit already came by and not only did they not help them, they chased them away from where they were originally supposed to be.”

 

“They said the military chased them away?” Clarke asked, raising her head quickly from Lexa’s shoulder, her blue eyes shining with confusion as her eyebrows knitted together, “They must have been confused between bandits and the military.”

 

“Honestly though, I don’t know how they could confuse us with the bandits but I showed up by myself, looking in the condition I’m in now so I don’t blame them for not trusting me; it was clear they needed extraction though. They weren’t going to survive much longer so they knew they had to trust me, against my better judgement I gave them half of my ammo because they had none just so I could get them to move. One of them was willing to trust me, she wasn’t the leader of the group but she clearly had influence” Lexa continued quietly as she glanced around the room to see Octavia and Raven still sleeping peacefully, happy to see two of her squad members still able to sleep despite everything they had been through, “ I tried to sleep that night because I honestly thought we were safe until two of them started to argue about whether they should leave with me or not. I woke up to hear them going at each other, one even pulling a weapon on the other and it was chaos.”

 

“And where was the horde at that point?”

 

“It was close, closer than I thought it would be and that’s when their arguing started to attract the attention of some infected. It was like a giant flashback to what happened to my company when this all first started and I refused to let it end like that again so I told them to shut up and I told them we had to move. It looked clear enough to make our way through and I knew if we stayed then we were going to die so I told them they were coming with me or they were going to stay and die,” Lexa muttered, bringing her free hand up to rub her eyes roughly once more; feeling Clarke place a soothing yet gentle kiss on her cheek, “We left while we could but it became very clear instantly that those who couldn’t keep up were going to die. I tried to help them as much as I could, to the point where I was practically carrying one but I had to take point, they survived as long as they did because they originally had a big group; they couldn’t do much in the small group they were in.”

 

“You don’t have to tell me anymore if you don’t want to,” Clarke whispered as she rested her forehead against Lexa’s temple, “I know how this ends.”

 

“I told them I would get them out but instead I lead them to a dead end. The two who were injured were already dead and another one was bitten right in front of me as I tried to pull him away from the horde. I didn’t know where I was going.”

 

“How could you have known, Lexa?” Clarke asked quietly with a shake of her head, “How could it have ended any differently?”

 

“I could have taken a different turn surely but we were being boxed in. We got to the dead end; it was a fence so I had to climb up first to help the others up and that’s when two more of them died, they didn’t get up in time and the infected pulled them down. I can still hear them screaming as myself and the one girl who trusted me when I got there had to run,” The Commander squeezed her eyes tightly shut as it echoed through her mind once more, knowing it was going to be added to the ever growing list of moments that haunted her even when she tried to make those rescue missions as less personal as she could, “That’s when an infected came from no where that I didn’t see. It grabbed me and I fell with it, I dropped my gun and it was snapping at my neck before she used a crowbar she was carrying to kill it. I mean I have the vaccine, it didn’t make me sick but I don’t want to get bitten to see whether it actually worked or not so she saved my life.”

 

“What happened to her?”

 

“I thought we were clear, I thought we had put some distance between ourselves and that horde, we had until that point,” Lexa spoke in broken words, her sentence not completely making sense which was worrying Clarke, “She was horrified, she was shaking to the point where I didn’t know what to do with her as we stopped to gather our heads so I could figure out what to do next. That was when I heard the engines of the bandit’s trucks, that’s when I knew we were still being trailed and they had followed me. I grabbed her and we started to run again but the sounds of the engines drew and stray infected towards us. She just froze up, she started saying she didn’t want to die; she looked at me and told me not to let her die that day.”

 

“You can’t save everyone, you know that, okay?” Clarke asked as she moved from her position to nudge Lexa’s leg’s apart in front of her to kneel in between them in front of the woman she loved, “You tried, I know you would have tried more than anything. You would have saved her if it weren’t for those bandits.”

 

“She saved my life and I promised her that I wasn’t going to let her die but she got caught, she got pulled back by three infected as we turned a corner and they just tore her apart in front of me. I didn’t even have a second before I had to run again while she was dying, I couldn’t even show her mercy because I had those bandits trailing me.” Lexa exhaled shakily, feeling her eyes sting with tears that threatened to almost fall. She was exhausted, dehydrated and in shock but after what she had seen over the past few days, she felt helpless for the first time in a while, “I just had to run and that’s what I did, that’s all I could do. I ran to the point where I thought I was going to collapse and I almost did but that’s when they caught me. I know that we usually try and separate our emotions when we do these sorts of missions but I promised her I would keep her alive and I failed.”

 

“But how many people have you actually managed to save? How many people have you saved when they probably should have been dead? The number is countless and I’m on that list, I would have been dead if it weren’t for you and your squad stopping for me in that field the day we met,” Clarke said as she cupped Lexa’s face gently, demanding eye contact from the brunette in front of her, “You have done so much, you have saved so many already and I know you have lost a lot but you can’t let that hang over your head or it will drown you. I know you try not to let it hold you back and you’re already carrying so much but I need the Lexa back that will get us home, I need _my_ Lexa back.”

 

“I’m still here, I just…I can’t shake something the bandits said to me when they caught me,” Lexa mumbled as her eyes searched Clarke’s, seeing patience and kindness that she knew she didn’t completely deserve, “They said that the military had come and driven them out of their camps, putting a stop to anyone they thought were powerful enough to rise up against the military and they were going to use me as a Commander to send a message.”

  
“Wait, the bandits said that’s why they took you?” Clarke asked with confusion etched on her face.

 

“I don’t believe them for a second but little things keep piecing together that don’t seem to make sense.” Lexa admitted as she leaned into Clarke’s touch as the blonde’s hands warmed her face.

 

“I know,” Clarke admitted with a small sigh, “The fact that those people you tried to rescued didn’t trust you just because of your uniform doesn’t exactly instil me with confidence and power can get the best of anyone; but do you really think that the Secretary of State would order that?”

 

“No.” Lexa responded instantly as she took one of Clarke’s hand from her face to hold it in front of her, her eyes catching the sight of the scar that now lined the top of Clarke’s forearm; an involuntary shudder ripping through her body, “They blame us for the vaccine not working, they blame us for the new strain of infection.”

 

“We didn’t design it,” Clarke replied immediately, “We tested and tested it until we thought we had something that could really help.”

 

“And it did, without it I wouldn’t have you and without it, I wouldn’t be alive right now.” Lexa responded sincerely as her eyes moved to meet Clarke’s gaze once more before bringing her arm up to her lips and placing a gentle kiss over the very area she had been bitten “I’m not sorry that we took it to Washington because I could never regret anything that saved your life. I just understand why they hate us for that reason. We’re trying to help; we’ve only ever tried to help and instead of working together to try and fight the infected, we fight each other.”

 

“We always knew some people wouldn’t want our help though.” Clarke replied with a shake of her head once more, a smile tugging at her lips as she watched the hardened Commander be so delicate with her; which was nothing unusual, “Whatever is coming, whatever we’re facing…we’ll get through it. We always do.”

 

“You and me,” Lexa said, exhaling a deeply before Clarke rested her forehead against her own, feeling the blonde’s warm breath against her own skin, “Always.”

 

“You and me.” Clarke spoke with her voice just above a whisper as she captured Lexa’s lips in her own almost desperately but ensuring she was gentle enough to not hurt the other woman, “You’re a worry, you know that right?”

 

“I know.” Lexa agreed with a small smile as they parted, Clarke moving back to Lexa’s side as the internal storm that raged within her mind began to calm slowly as the blonde always managed to do in a way that she could never understand, “I wasn’t trying to scare you when I ran.”

 

“I know but you can’t always be a hero, I know what you were trying to do and it worked but you almost paid for it.” Clarke replied, her voice scratching against her throat, “I need you just as much as you need me.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere, Clarke,” Lexa reached her arm out to grip the blonde’s waist, “We’ve been through a lot but honestly, I’m not sure if that compares to what I think we’re about to come up against.”

 

“I have that same feeling.” Clarke confirmed grimly, leaning her head once more against Lexa’s shoulder, closing her eyes and exhaling sharply.

 

“Whoever said the apocalypse was easy, was wrong.”

 

“No one ever said that Lexa.” Clarke laughed quietly to herself, knowing that her girlfriend had only said that for the purpose of making her laugh, “You make it a little easier though.”

 

**Days since Vaccine: 262**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Destination : Fort Woods, Washington DC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments on the 1st chapter of this story! Super glad to be back and posting again. I didn't realise that this chapter was as massive as it is so please forgive the length of chapter 2. 
> 
> This story is going to have a decently complex plot line so please be patient with me in regards to the time I take to post! Hopefully it will be worth it (I think it's slower than how regularly I usually post).

Lexa exhaled shakily as she looked into a dusty, broken mirror in a room that seemed oddly familiar. She looked herself closely, her uniform was clean, her shoes were shiny and her face was unharmed; free of any cuts or bruises that she was so used to seeing whenever she was given a glance of herself.

 

“You can’t spend too long up here looking at yourself, you can’t waste what time you have left.” She heard the all familiar voice that she had loved what felt like a lifetime ago, her eyes squeezing tightly before opening once more to see Costia standing behind her with a bright smile on her face, “Though you did always look cute in this uniform.”

 

“Why am I here?” Lexa asked in a defeated tone as she looked Costia in the eyes through the mirror.

 

“Do you know where you are?” Costia raised an eyebrow challengingly like she had always done when she was alive, “Do you even remember?”

 

“I’m at base, where we lived. I can’t forget that.” Lexa responded simply as she sighed quietly, shaking her head slowly, “Why am I here? Why are you here? I haven’t seen you in my dreams for so long.”

 

“People are going to die, Lexa.” Costia said quietly, “They’re going to die and you can’t stop them.”

 

“People die all the time, that isn’t something new even before this whole thing happened.” Lexa mumbled, feeling Costia’s hands grip her shoulder’s gently at her words.

 

“They’re all going to die if you don’t change something, Lexa. You can’t trust them, you have to get out.” She said seriously as she tugged on Lexa’s shoulders, feeling the pinch of her skin between Costia’s fingers, “I need you to listen to me.”

 

“You need to leave me alone.” Lexa muttered with a shake of her head, “You need to leave again, you can’t keep coming back.”

 

“Do you want them to end up like the people you couldn’t save?” Costia asked sharply and harshly, causing Lexa to flinch before turning around to face the other girl, “Do you want them to end up like me?”

 

When she turned around, she didn’t see the woman she knew, she didn’t see the woman she once loved but she only saw the shell of her. She saw the infected version of Costia facing her, a hole in her head from where Lexa had originally showed her mercy. Costia stared silently at Lexa and the brunette was frozen, feeling as if her arms were glued to her sides as they watched each other carefully.

 

Suddenly Costia made a move, her rotten teeth flashing as they snapped in the direction of her neck, causing Lexa to jolt awake, gasping for air and feeling herself covered in sweat as the relative darkness surrounded her.

 

**Days since Vaccine: 262**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Destination: Fort Woods, Washington DC**

 

“You’re okay.” She heard Clarke’s sleep filled voice reassure her quickly, feeling the blonde tuck her head further under the Commander’s chin as an arm gave her waist a quick squeeze, “You’re with us and you’re okay.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Lexa exhaled deeply, bringing a hand to squeeze the bridge of her nose, “You must hate sleeping with me.”

 

“I’m used to your dreams now; I don’t hate sleeping with you or I wouldn’t do it.” Clarke replied quietly, “We have to be up soon anyway and make a head start before the sun rises. How’s your head?”

 

“It’s sore but I’ve been worse.” The Commander mumbled, tilting her head slightly to press a gentle kiss into Clarke’s hair, “Waking up next to you makes it a bit better too.”

 

“Same dream?” Clarke questioned as her hand moved to Lexa’s stomach, her fingers playing absentmindedly with the material of her uniform, “The one where I get bitten?”

 

“No.” Lexa responded after a moment’s pause, her eyebrows knitting together in thought, “No, it was something else; Costia was back.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Do you ever dream about Finn?” The brunette whispered as her lips moved against the top of Clarke’s head, unwilling to move even the slightest from the other woman, “Do you ever have dreams like that?”

 

“Sometimes.” Clarke confessed with a slow, subtle nod, “We loved them, Lexa. They’re always going to be somewhere in our mind and I can completely share you with her but any time you have had a dream about Costia, it’s meant something.”

 

“She told me not to trust them; she told me that we’d all die if we stayed.” Lexa replied instantly, her heartbeat picking up as she spoke.

 

“Who did she tell you not to trust?”

 

“I don’t know,” Lexa said after a moment of silence, her mind racing almost as quickly as her heartbeat had been when she awoke “That’s the first time I’ve had that dream.”

 

“And it probably won’t be the last,” Clarke continued, moving to place a warm, reassuring kiss against the Commander’s neck just above her pulse point, “I guess this just means we need to stay as vigilant as we can.”  

 

“You don’t actually believe Costia is coming back to warn me about things do you?” Lexa’s voice filled with scepticism, earning a quiet chuckle from the other woman.

 

“No, I don’t think she is coming back to warn you. I think that she was a voice of reason in your life and I think your mind is using her to warn you. I also think you still blame yourself for her death in the back of your mind so you’re torturing yourself whenever you remember her like that.” Clarke assessed honestly. She waited patiently as Lexa took in everything she had just said, moving to prop herself up on one arm and placing her other hand, which was previously toying with her shirt, on the brunette’s upper chest, “I think that you always carry way too much on your shoulders and maybe it’s about time you let us carry some of it but most of all; I think it’s time we get everyone up and start moving.”

 

“Thank you for finding me back there, I didn’t know whether I was going to make it out.” Lexa said with a soft smile as the faint glow of the morning sun peaked through the window that Octavia was looking out, “You always find me.”

 

“We’ll always find each other; we’re all we have left.”

 

“I have to say, I’m offended hearing that.” Raven said as she sat up next to Clarke, stretching her arms out in front of her.

 

“How long have you been awake for?” Clarke asked as she glanced over her shoulder before returning her gaze back to Lexa who only had eyes for her.

 

“Long enough to hear that the Commander is having dreams again and they scare the hell out of me.” Raven admitted with a shake of her head, “At least it’s the zombie apocalypse and having traumatic dreams is probably the normal thing.”

 

“Yeah, it’s great.” Lexa said, her tone dripping in sarcasm; flinching as she shook her head slowly, “God damn it.”

 

“I think we need to get you a helmet.” Raven responded quickly.

 

“We’re going to have to move, _now_.” They heard Octavia hissed urgently, her voice just above a whisper as she stood from the bench she had been sitting on, opening the blinds slightly before glancing back to the group who were quickly shaking themselves of their tiredness, “I see lights headed this way, they just turned the corner. No doubt it’s bandits.”

 

Without another word Lexa stood from her position, gently moving from underneath Clarke to take rushed strides towards the window; the throb of her head making it difficult for her eyes to focus but she could very easily see a set of headlights turning up the very same street they were on.

 

“We don’t have time to move.” Lexa said quickly with a shake of her head looking down to Lincoln, Clarke and Raven who were still positioned on the floor, “The truck is around the back, they’re hopefully going to pass us. They’re going slowly so they are looking for something or someone.”

 

“They’re probably looking for us.” Clarke reasoned quietly as she looked around the room, “How did they know we were here?”

 

“How are there so many of them?” Raven asked with wide eyes, standing from her position to quickly begin to gather her things together as the rest of the group followed suit while the car continued to move up the street, “How are there _so many_ bandits around here?”

 

“I don’t know, clearly there is a big group of them and we knew that they were all hostile coming out here and clearly they are communicating somehow,” Lexa said as she stood flatly against the wall by the window, now seeing two people walking in front of the slow moving car as it rolled closer towards them, “I don’t want it to come to this but we’re going to have to get ready to fight.”

 

“Who knows how many of them are around us, we only have 5 of us; you’re certainly not in any condition to do anything.” Clarke responded quickly as she approached Lexa, grabbing her girlfriend’s forearm tightly and demanding her attention, “We should move upstairs, stay quiet and stay out of view.”

 

“If we let them find us first then they have the upper hand,” Lexa replied adamantly with a shake of her head.

 

Lexa stayed with her back flat against the wall next to the window with Clarke at her side in the same position. Octavia was on the other side of that same window, closest to the front door that Raven and Lincoln were positioned directly behind under the cover of a flipped over table. Thankfully these houses had clearly been used before as shelter by groups passing through so it was a mess by the time Lexa and her crew had even touched it.

 

The brunette’s heart raced out of her chest as she focussed on keeping her breathing under control, shutting her eyes tightly momentarily as the dull sound of the bandit vehicle approached. She heard the sounds of four voices, listening to the quiet conversation as best as she could as they grew closer. It was very clear to her very quickly that they had been moving through the neighbourhood and checking every few houses for any signs of life. Her head ached as blood pumped furiously through her body, her hands sweating as she gripped her hands tightly around her loaded AR-15; hearing the car roll to a squeaky stop and the conversation quieten.

 

Lexa exhaled quietly, leaning over slightly to peak outside the window to see the bandits with their faces covered in the dark street; only being illuminated by the headlights of their car. There were six by Lexa’s count, two in either side of the car and two in the actual car; acting like a patrolling unit. She moved her head back quickly as a flashlight was shone into the windows, Lexa pressing her head up against the wall tightly.

 

“If there’s someone out there, we don’t want to hurt you.” They heard a voice call out calmly, “If you surrender willingly, we can take you somewhere safe. There’s military around here and it’s not safe.”

 

Lexa glanced to Clarke, whose anxiousness was shining through her eyes as they stayed locked on her girlfriend. The silence was deafening, as she looked to her other squad members while they stood firm in the face of a very serious threat.

 

“We don’t want help.” Octavia called loudly, all eyes falling to the girl right next to the door; her focus placed solely on the door in front of her, “We’re fine, we just want to be left alone.”

 

“I knew someone was around.” They heard the voice once more, “Come out, we want to help you. I can assure you that you’d rather come with us than be found by them”

 

“We don’t need help.” Octavia repeated firmly.

 

“Octavia.” Lexa hissed quietly, waving her off angrily; a quiet warning for the other girl to stop.

 

“You do need help.” The voice called once more after a minute of silence, “Especially since there is a military truck parked out back.”

 

Lexa heard a clicking, something that was very familiar and for a split second; she froze because she knew exactly what was about to happen and she didn’t have enough time to react properly to it.

 

“Get down!” Lexa screamed as a barrage of bullets hit the house, the loud pops of gunfire filling the air as windows began to smash all around them. She pulled Clarke to the ground with her, protectively positioning her body over the blonde, covering her head tightly as she pushed her as hard as she could against the ground. She heard Octavia scream in pain so she knew she had been hit but Lexa didn’t know just how badly and she wasn’t going to be able to find out until the gunfire halted.

 

The gunfire paused after what felt like an eternity, Octavia was still screaming from her injury as Lincoln crawled his way over shattered glass to reach his girlfriend. Lexa moved only an inch so she could check if Clarke was okay, once she confirmed the blonde was somehow unharmed, she reached for her assault rifle that was now lying beside her. Lexa looked to Raven who was hiding behind the now almost torn apart table, wide eyed but with an anger on her face that let Lexa know she was okay.

 

Lexa took a deep breath, giving Raven a quick nod before she stood; edging herself next to the window and glancing outside as the bandits were reloading, knowing that if she didn’t strike then, she wouldn’t get another chance. She squeezed the trigger, firing off shots directly at the people who had tried to kill the squad moments ago. Clarke and Raven followed her lead, picking off the four that were standing in front of the car as they reloaded. They received fire through the car window from the two remaining bandits; ducking behind cover once more as they waited to have another opportunity to take out the car.

 

“I need cover fire from both of you; I’ll go out the back and take them out from the side.” Lexa said quickly, moving towards the back of the house as soon as she finished her sentence.

 

She pushed through the backdoor with purpose, running through the side of the house as she heard gunfire being exchanged between Raven, Clarke and the two remaining bandits. Lexa moved cautiously towards the front of the house, her mind racing and wondering how badly Octavia had been injured, knowing that if it was badly enough, she could have been in serious danger with them being so far from Fort Woods.

 

The Commander emerged around the corner, holding her aim tightly to the car and firing through the window, directly hitting the passenger as she moved forward. Lexa heard Octavia’s agony through the windows and she pressed forward; seeing the driver’s side door open but instead of seeing someone coming towards her like she thought she would; she saw someone running away. The brunette rushed down towards the side of the road, her aim firmly fixed to the back of the retreating bandit’s skull as she held her finger on the trigger.

 

“Lexa!” She heard Clarke call from inside the house, her jaw clenching as she held the bandit within her aim. She could hear other words being spoken to her but they were drowned out by the blood rushing through her ears and the high pitched ringing due to the loud gunshots that had now fallen silent. Lexa heard her name being called once more before she exhaled sharply, dropping her rifle to her side as she watched the bandit disappearing through the darkness. She looked at him for a moment more before rushing towards the back of the house once more; entering the now torn apart room they had been sleeping in just minutes ago.

 

“How bad is it?” Lexa asked as she rushed to kneel next to Octavia as Clarke tended to her wound, applying pressure to her thigh as she attempted to stem the blood flow.

 

“It’s not great. It looks like it missed her main arteries but she is still losing more blood than she can cope with right now” Clarke replied with a shake of her head, “Octavia, I need you to just stay awake, okay?”

 

“We have to go.” Lexa said frantically as she looked to Raven who stood only a few inches away from her, “Get the keys from Lincoln and you’re driving. I’ll be in the front with you, Clarke I need you looking after Octavia with Lincoln in the back.”

 

“I don’t know if we should move her just yet.” Clarke said reluctantly, bringing her hand to wipe her forehead and smearing Octavia’s blood on her skin at the same time, “I can’t find an exit wound; I think the bullet is still in there and I think its hit her bone. I have to stem this bleeding before we go anywhere or she is in danger of bleeding out”

 

“We don’t have the time to stay still, any infected within this area would be well on their way here and those bandits knew we were here so I wouldn’t be surprised if more weren’t too far away either,” Lexa explained regretfully, as she looked down to Octavia who was lying in a pool of her own blood, “I know it is going to hurt her, but I want to make sure she is okay so the best thing we can do for Octavia right now is to get her in the truck and go.”

 

“I’ll go get the truck ready.” Raven responded with a nod before she disappeared through the house, her shaky voice alluding to the fact that her brave face was an act to try and be strong for the group.

 

“O, we’re going to move you out to the car so we can get you home okay?” Clarke asked loudly as she looked at Lincoln, who looked almost as pained as Octavia did, “This is going to hurt but we just need to move you.”

 

Lexa almost flinched in guilt as they gently and carefully picked up Octavia, evidently placing the younger girl in enormous amounts of pain. She swallowed thickly as they moved towards the door, being careful to try and elevate her leg as best as they could manage in a hurry. Lincoln jumped in the back first so he could cradle Octavia against himself, leaving space for Clarke to work on her leg in the back seat as they drove.

 

“My bag, it’s still inside.” Clarke said as she looked over to Lexa as she stood at the side of the car.

 

“Bring the car around the front; I’ll go get the bag and anything else we’ve left in there.” Lexa gave Raven a quick nod before closing the back door gently and moving quickly back into the house.

 

She scooped up Clarke’s bag quickly, picking up a jacket that Raven had been sleeping on and throwing it over her shoulder; standing as the car rolled stopped on the street for Lexa. She quickly jumped out of the shattered window, being careful not to cut herself as she spotted a few infected that had been drawn to all of the noise and had already started moving in. These particular infected were slow so they were easy for Lexa to drop with relative ease using her rifle, figuring that they couldn’t have drawn more attention to the area if they had tried so a few more shots killing infected at a distance weren’t going to cause any further attraction. The brunette quickly made her way to the passenger side, throwing the bag in, the car was moving before Lexa had even closed the door; knowing the urgency of the situation.

 

“She’s passed out; she’s losing too much blood.” Lincoln said in a panicked tone, his usual cool and calm demeanour replaced with complete panic and worry. Lexa didn’t blame him, if it had been Clarke who was in that situation then she would have been exactly the same, probably worse and she knew what it was like to be on the brink of losing someone who meant the world to her so if anyone understood what he was feeling right now; it was her. She also knew though that Clarke was doing her best to keep Octavia as stable as possible and she just hoped that would be enough.

 

“I’m going to have to get that bullet out of there, it’s only making things worse,” Clarke said as she looked to Lexa, “I need you to apply pressure to her leg while I get something to remove it.”

 

“Okay.” The Commander said simply, leaning through the middle of the seats to hold her hands over Octavia’s still bleeding wound.

 

“This isn’t going to be pleasant and this isn’t going to be nice but I have to do this so I can stop her bleeding,” Clarke said as she looked to Lincoln who nodded silently, pressing a kiss to the top of Octavia’s head, “She’s going to be fine, we’ll get her back home.”

 

\---

 

Lexa sat outside of the new extended hospital in Fort Woods, her back pressed against the wall as she sat next to the door; her knees pulled up closely to her chest and her arms extended out in front of her resting on her knees. Her eyes were locked on the now dried blood staining her skin and her clothes from helping Clarke as best as she could manage to keep Octavia alive.

 

Clarke like so many times before had been the hero in Lexa’s eyes, somehow removing as much of the bullet as she could, in the dark and without any real surgical equipment before stitching Octavia’s wound up just enough to stop the bleeding. They had arrived back to Fort Woods late that afternoon and Octavia was taken straight into the hospital for what Lexa assumed would be surgery to remove the rest of the bullet and to clean the wound up to fight off any infection that might have been setting in.

 

Lexa had been sitting outside of the hospital for an hour since they had returned, she avoided going inside as much as she could because it only held horrific memories for her of the time when she wondered whether she was going to have to put a bullet through Clarke’s skull. Lexa had been broken so many times within her life and with every shatter, she lost a piece of herself that she knew she could never replace. She managed to hold herself together considering what she had been through but every now and then, a glimpse of the broken girl could be seen through the thick armour she shielded herself with so often.

 

“I’m going to need you to come inside,” She heard Clarke’s tired voice before she saw the blonde sit down beside her, mirroring her position as she shuffled to be shoulder to shoulder with her Commander, “I know you don’t like it in there, I don’t really like it either but I need to check you over.”

 

“How is she?” Lexa asked quickly, ignoring Clarke’s statement, “Is she okay?”

 

“She’s going to be fine. Bellamy is giving her a much needed blood transfusion right now, the rest of the bullet was removed but her leg was fractured from the impact so she’s going to be out of action for a while,” Clarke answered quietly, rubbing her hands against her old, dirty jeans, “You should probably wash the blood off your hands and change your clothes. You might scare a few people with the way you are looking.”

 

“You did an amazing job getting her back here alive; if you weren’t there,” She broke off, “I hate to think of how differently this could have ended.”

 

“Well you all helped me,” Clarke responded after a moment’s pause between the girls before she nudged her girlfriend very gently, “I _am_ going to need you to come inside though, I need to check your cheek and I want to get an IV into you so we can get you rehydrated.”

 

“I’m fine.” Lexa assured the younger girl, glancing sideways as a very small smile broke through her stoic demeanour, “You have been attending to a gunshot wound all night and have just been in a surgery for over an hour but you still look more beautiful than I can comprehend.”

 

“Well to be fair, I didn’t do much during the actual surgery,” Clarke said with a quick shrug, leaning over slightly to place the gentlest kiss on the brunette’s cheek that she could manage, “Please?”

 

“I’m fine, Clarke,” Lexa responded, her eyes fluttering closed momentarily as she felt Clarke’s lips against her skin, “I promise.”

 

“God you are so stubborn,” Clarke sighed loudly as she shook her head, “If I bring some equipment back to our demountable, will you let me look after you then?”

 

“If it will make you feel better, yeah.” Lexa replied with a quick nod, “I have to go find Anya and tell her that we aren’t going out on missions in those areas anymore. There’s far too much risk.”

 

“Well considering that you were seconds away from being shot in the head and Octavia almost bled out on the way home, yeah I would say that there’s too much risk.” Clarke agreed, giving Lexa’s leg a gentle squeeze, “I’m going to go back in there, I need to make sure Raven and Lincoln are okay so I will meet you back at our place, okay?”

 

“You need to make sure you’re okay too, take your time,” Lexa confirmed with the biggest smile she could manage at that moment, knowing they had avoided complete disaster again somehow and all members of her squad had returned relatively in one piece. As Clarke moved to push herself up against the wall, Lexa moved her hand to grab the blonde’s forearm very gently, “I love you. I probably don’t say it enough but I really do and you guys saved my life out there”

 

Clarke didn’t say a word, watching Lexa for a few seconds as a genuine smile spread on her face and she shook her head slowly before leaning in to kiss the Commander; placing her cool hands over the other girl’s cheek delicately.

 

“Sometimes I just want to strangle you because you have no regard for yourself and it scares the hell out of me but I _really_ love you too and that’s one of the reasons why,” Clarke finally responded when they broke from the kiss before she placed a kiss on Lexa’s forehead and began to move slowly towards the door, “I’ll see you soon.”

 

A smile lingered on her face as she heard the door close behind Clarke, standing up slowly and dusting her pants off; looking around the community as she noticed a tenser environment than what she was used to seeing. The soldiers and civilians weren’t mixing as much as they usually did; the soldiers on duty were completely separated from any civilian that may have been around but she was pulled out of her train of thought when the air was knocked out of her lungs are arms wrenched tightly around her neck.

 

“I heard someone was in the hospital and I thought it was you,” Echo said angrily as she squeezed her Commander so tightly that it hurt, “What the hell happened to you guys after we left? Why were you so far behind?”

 

“Where have you been?” Lexa asked, hugging her friend back gently before pulling away, “We’ve been back for over an hour.”

 

“We’re completely stretched; I’ve been on watch duty.”

 

“How can we be completely stretched? We hardly have anyone on rest at the moment, which is what you’re entitled to be doing at the moment seeing as you just came back from a mission and we just trained up dozens of civilians to help with duties,” Lexa responded with furrowed eyebrows, “Where the hell is everyone else?”

 

“I don’t know, we’re on skeleton crew right now” Echo responded, her tone just as frustrated with the situation before her eyes widened as she took in Lexa’s appearance, “Why are you covered in blood? Whose is it?”

 

“It’s Octavia’s, she’s okay,” Lexa said with her hands out in front of her to calm Echo immediately, “She was shot in the leg during a clash we had with some bandits but Clarke got her back here and she’s stabilised.”

 

“Was anyone else hurt?”

 

“Just Octavia, we encountered some bandits when you left us and things got a little complicated but we’re all back here and we’re all okay.” Lexa offered vaguely as she looked over Echo’s shoulder towards the civilian housing, “What’s going on in here?”

 

“Things got a little complicated?” Echo raised her eyebrows with a shake of her head, “Either you tell me what the hell happened or I walk away right now. You can’t be vague with me Commander, I’ve known you for way too long and we have been through too much for you to do that to me.”

 

“I was separated from the squad,” The Commander said, sighing quietly and placing her hands to rest on her belt, “I had to draw some bandits away from the group and I was separated. I found the refugees but there was a horde so no one survived, then I was captured.”

 

“By bandits?”

 

“They tried to interrogate me for a little while and nothing else but the squad found me in time before they could do any major damage so it’s fine. Then we encountered some other bandits who shot up the house we were in and here we are.” Lexa grumbled lowly, “I don’t know why they are so set on attacking us and I don’t understand why we all have to fight each other when we are supposed to be fighting the infected but it is what it is.”

 

“For someone really smart, you are stupid.” Echo reached over to punch Lexa in the shoulder roughly, “God, Lexa. You could have died. Do you ever think about what would happen to the rest of us if you died?”

 

“So do you want to tell me what’s going on in here?” Lexa questioned once more, her focus drifting around the camp as she ignored Echo’s angry words, “Why do the civilians look so on edge and why is there a skeleton crew on right now? We have full numbers for rotations after civilian training, why aren’t we using them?”

 

“You probably know more than I do,” She shook her head and shrugged, “They were like this when we got back. All of a sudden there is like a line drawn right down the middle of the camp and I have no idea why.”

 

“Have we bought refugees into camp since you have been back?” Lexa questioned quietly as multiple soldiers walked past them, nodding at the Commander before entering the hospital, “Any new civilians?”

 

“Not since I got back, we’ve sent squads out there but it’s really bad out there right now.” Echo shook her head, her eyes scanning Lexa’s arms once more, “But I guess I don’t need to tell you that.”

 

“Okay, I have to go find Anya.” Lexa took a step to move around her squad member, Echo quickly grabbing the Commander’s forearm, earning a strange look, “What?”

 

“You haven’t been told?” Echo raised her eyebrow, “No one told you?”

 

“No one told me what, Echo?” Lexa asked, her tone dripping with frustration, “What in the hell is going on here?”

 

“We lost communication with Texas two days ago and Anya was sent that night with her original squad to try and fix whatever is happening over there,” Echo tugged on the front of her cap quickly, “I figured someone would have told you.”

 

“So we lost communication with Texas and the first reaction was to send someone as senior as her?” Lexa questioned with a shake of her head, “When is she coming back?”

 

“I have no idea,” The soldier responded with a sad smile as she let go of Lexa’s arm, “Go and get cleaned up, you look like hell.”

 

\---

 

“You really should have let me look at you when I asked you to,” Clarke mumbled as her eyebrows crinkled in concentration, cradling the brunette’s hand in her own as she finished wrapping Lexa’s palm that had been torn up on the asphalt, “I feel like I have to lecture you every time you get hurt.”

 

Lexa had been sitting in their demountable for what felt like hours after she had been into Anya’s office to confirm that she had indeed been sent to Texas on short notice. She subtly searched the office for anything she might have thought could be suspicious. Her mind was jumping to too many conclusions as to why exactly her superior and close friend had been sent across the country. She couldn’t help but feel the uneasy and tense air within Fort Woods, things weren’t like they had been only just months ago; things were fractured and it felt like they were standing on thin ice but Lexa didn’t even know who she was standing on thin ice with.

 

She continued to repeat her dream to herself all throughout the afternoon, knowing that when something came to her during her sleep; more often than not it was correct but she was starting to wonder who exactly she was supposed to be weary of. The civilians weren’t interacting with the military and it almost seemed as if the world outside of Fort Woods wanted nothing to do with the military; making her stomach churn just thinking about the prospect of the bandit’s words ringing true.

 

If the military had been doing what the bandits had said they were doing then she wasn’t sure where she was going to turn. They had worked so hard to build Fort Woods into what it was, but she wouldn’t hesitate to leave with her squad if she felt they would be safer on the outside.

 

“You’re not allowed to lecture me.” The brunette replied quietly, her eyes locked on her girlfriend as she so carefully tended to her, “And you had bigger things to worry about.”

 

“You’re always the biggest worry I have,” Clarke responded honestly, gently placing Lexa’s hand in her lap she leaned over the Commander’s body to reach the medical kit sitting next to her as they sat cross legged in front of each other on their small but surprisingly comfortable bed, “And please enlighten me as to why I’m now allowed to lecture you.”

 

“Well first of all, I’m your Commander,” Lexa began, playfully raising her eyebrows as she tried to keep her expression firm but her lips were slowly curling into a smile, “Second of all, you volunteered to be the first human trial of the vaccine that has done more harm than good for most people, that will trump anything I ever do.”

 

“You can’t keep using that,” Clarke said with a roll of her eyes, leaning back after reaching for a small bandage to place over the cut on Lexa’s bruised cheek, “You’re going to have to let go of that one day. If I hadn’t have done that then I wouldn’t still be here.”

 

“We both wouldn’t be here,” Lexa corrected the blonde, her eyes screaming sincerity, “I wasn’t leaving that room without you.”

 

“You know how mad that makes me every time I hear you say that?” The blonde questioned, gently wiping the cut with an alcohol wipe; causing Lexa to recoil slightly with a hiss, “You baby.”

 

“I don’t say it to make you mad; I say it because it’s true.” Lexa shrugged, reaching out to place her newly wrapped hand on Clarke’s knee.

 

“That’s what I hate,” Clarke exhaled quietly, placing the small bandage over Lexa’s cheek and leaning over swiftly to place a warm, gentle kiss over her cut, “You’re all patched up.”

 

“Thank you,” Lexa responded weakly, swallowing thickly as Clarke reluctantly moved away from her girlfriend to begin packing up the medical kit, “Is Lincoln staying with Octavia in the hospital?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think he will be leaving her side for a while,” Clarke confirmed with a nod, standing and moving to their small bathroom to wash her hands “I don’t blame him.”

 

“I’m worried we’re going to have to move her.” Lexa admitted quietly, her voice only just projecting over the running water while she watched the blonde pause and look out towards her on the bed.

 

“Why are we going to move her?” Clarke questioned in an unsure tone, turning the tap off before returning to the bed with a small towel drying her now clean hands. She carefully found her usual place next to Lexa on the bed, opening her arms up so Lexa could lean her head against her chest as she cradled the brunette in her arms, “What’s going on?”

 

“I don’t know, that’s the problem,” Lexa answered honestly, letting herself sink into Clarke for the first time since they had been back, “Something is going on here, I feel like all of a sudden things are about to implode in Fort Woods.”

 

“Things have been a little tense ever since the vaccine was introduced, civilians and soldiers were mad that a lot of people got sick and I don’t blame them but no one could have known how it was going to react to different people.” Clarke commented, confusion on her face as she shook her head, “We wouldn’t have started vaccinating people if we knew that would happen and those who didn’t get sick can’t turn into an infected.”

 

“It just seems really different, the tension seems _different_. We worked really hard to repair that damage that was caused between everyone, we both know that. It’s tense, the civilians are on one side and we’re on the other side; it’s exactly what it was like when I found those refugees,” Lexa said as her tone grew unsure the longer she spoke, “These people clearly don’t trust us anymore and I can’t even talk to Anya about it.”

 

“Why can’t you talk to Anya?” The blonde woman asked with confusion, stroking Lexa’s hair gently.

 

“Echo told me that she was sent to Texas. Communications broke down between us and them while we were gone so they sent her and her squad.”

 

“But why did they send _Anya_?” Clarke questioned, still trying to wrap her head around the situation.

 

“That’s what I don’t understand and now I’m starting to really be convinced that maybe those refugees had a reason to be scared of me. Maybe those bandits were telling the truth when they said that we were rolling into their camps and destroying them.” Lexa said slowly, pushing herself up from Clarke’s arms to kneel next to the blonde who stayed in her same position, “How could this be happening under our noses and we not know about it?”

 

“Well we haven’t been here much lately.” Clarke said carefully, the realisation that their fellow soldiers could have been doing more harm than good to the outside world, a world they were sworn to protect, not destroy, “Lexa, if this is happening, we need to do something about it.”

 

“What can we do to make up for this if it is true?” Lexa asked, a sense of helplessness overcoming her as she thought about the damage the people around them may have caused, “Something is going on, I don’t know what it is but we’re on a skeleton guard at the moment because god knows where the rest of the military personnel are right now.”

 

“We could talk to the Secretary, surely he can tell you what has been happening,” Clarke reasoned sensibly, “I mean he would never order anything like that to happen and if he heard about it then he would put a stop to it, there has to be a reason for all of this.”

 

“What if there isn’t though? What if something is happening and he doesn’t even know? What the hell do we do then?”

 

“Surely if something like that was happening, he would know. I mean those bandits could be hunting us for no reason, they could be saying all of this to cause exactly what is happening right now,” Clarke continued her train of thought aloud as she reached out to take Lexa’s freshly bandaged hand in her own, “They can’t get in here, it’s too heavily fortified and they want what we have, so maybe they figure their only way in is if we implode in ourselves.”

 

“I just…I know that it’s possible, I’m not under the illusion that this place is perfect and everyone is happy. I know that this could be happening but I don’t understand how and I don’t understand why. If this is happening, then we’re all in danger and we can’t trust the people we’re supposed to be working with,” Lexa furrowed her brow as she concentrated on the touch of Clarke against her skin as the blonde dragged her nails gently against her forearm, “I mean you don’t hunt down people like those bandits were hunting us down for no reason. We could be worse than those monsters out there that we’re supposed to be protecting these people from”

 

“I saw you had a shot on that guy who was running away. When I called to you, I saw you had a shot locked on him but you didn’t take it. Why?” Clarke asked, her hand locking around Lexa’s wrist and gently tugging the other girl towards her until the brunette was hovering over her. Their hips pressed together as Lexa propped herself up on one arm next to Clarke’s pillow after she had allowed her body to be pulled towards the blonde and their faces were just inches apart.

 

“Because he was running for his life and he had his back turned from me.” The Commander responded with an unsure tone, her eyes darting between Clarke’s, “I wasn’t going to kill him like an animal, he was retreating.”

 

“You didn’t shoot him because that’s who you are. If this is happening then it has nothing to do with you, you’re not a monster and you never will be. You help anyone you can and I know that if something is wrong, you will be the first one to try and fix it.” Clarke spoke quietly, lifting her head quickly to press a chaste kiss against Lexa’s lips before resting her head back on her pillow, “We made a promise to each other a while ago, you and me; so no matter what happens, we stick together. Your squad are all here to help as well, we’re a family. You’re a Commander, people listen to you.”

 

“I’m just not sure whether it’s a case of having a conversation if this is true,” Lexa responded with a shake of her head, haze filling her mind as the close proximity to Clarke quickly became almost intoxicating; she was possibly the only thing that could break her concentration completely, “I don’t know what we do if this is true, I’m not sure what our best move will be.”

 

“Can we just leave? Can we leave knowing that something bad is happening here without doing anything to help?”

 

“I don’t know but if this runs as deep as I think it might, should it be true, I’m not sure if we will have a choice,” Lexa shook her head, leaning her forehead gently against Clarke’s, “I would rather take my chances with monsters on the outside that I know for sure want to kill me than be in here with people who I think are my allies who are doing this behind our backs.”

 

“You’d choose the safety of your squad over your ability to sleep at night?” Clarke asked quietly, repeating words that Lexa had spoken to her so long ago when they were facing the prospect of launching an attack on Dante Wallace’s compound.

 

“You and me.” Lexa responded simply with a small nod, leaning down to capture Clarke’s lips in a fierce kiss like she had been wanting to the entire night. She pressed her hips deeply into Clarke’s hearing the girl below her respond with a quiet gasp. Her cheek screamed in pain as Clarke did her best to cup it gently but she didn’t care. For now, they were as safe as they could be, in their own bed after surviving a number of days where Lexa honestly thought their story would end.

 

She was quickly brought back to the harsh reality of their life when she heard loud, piercing screams before three distinct shots were fired. These shots were followed by more screams and echoed by even louder yelling. Suddenly after, the lights cut out.

 

**Days since Vaccine: 262**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Location: Fort Woods, Washington DC**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? 
> 
> I will update soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being so patient with me! Thanks for your comments too, I really appreciate it :) So this chapter kicks it up a notch and then it goes even further with chapter 4. Enjoy (Hopefully).

**Days since Vaccine: 262**  
**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty  
** **Location : Fort Woods, Washington DC**

   
Lexa moved instinctively, pushing herself from Clarke’s body to pull her shoes on and grab her rifle as she looked beside her to see the blonde doing the very same. As she pushed the door open, she found Raven, Echo, Bellamy, Jasper and Monty standing outside of their cabins as the loud shouting continued to grow in the distance.

 

“Sounds like it’s coming from the gate,” Bellamy said as they heard further gunshots, which prompted the group to move instantly, “What the hell is going on?”

 

“Stay sharp.” Lexa warned as they made their way through the maze of portable homes set up for the soldiers of Fort Woods, glancing back to see Clarke directly behind her as her adrenaline picked up thinking it was bandits or infected that were trying to breach the walls.

 

When they arrived to the scene though, it was not what she had expected at all. Lexa had to blink a few times as a wave of shock ripped through her body as they pushed through a crowd of mostly stunned civilians. When they arrived they saw a military vehicle parked with its headlights shining on a terrified group of civilians on their knees with their hands on their heads with numerous soldiers aiming their guns at the backs of their skulls, next to what Lexa assumed were the small number of possessions they actually owned.

 

“What the hell is happening here?!” Lexa exclaimed furiously as she held her gun tightly beside her as the rest of her squad pushed through the newly formed large circle of stunned civilians around them. The Commander immediately noticed other soldiers with their guns trained on the crowd that had gathered as if willing to shoot should the situation somehow spiral even further out of control, “Are you insane? These people are under our protection, put your guns down!”

 

“You heard your Commander.” Bellamy yelled angrily, looking around to the soldiers who didn’t even flinch at their command. 

 

“Keep your guns where they are,” Lexa heard a voice from above her to her right, her head turned along with everyone else’s to see a solider she only knew as Tristan standing on the hood of the large army vehicle with his arms folded over his chest as he held eye contact with the brunette, “No one moves until I say so.”

 

“What the hell are you doing, Tristan?” Lexa responded in a hurried tone, knowing that the situation was just seconds away from escalating, “I’m your _Commanding_ Officer and I’m directly ordering you to put those guns down now before you cause even more damage than you clearly already have. Put them down or we will make you put your guns down, I’m not warning you again”

 

“You _were_ my Commanding Officer,” Tristan said with a shrug as he looked around the scene they had so clearly purposefully caused, “But now you take orders from me and that goes for everyone else in this whole compound.”

 

“These people are terrified, you are only making this worse,” Clarke spoke firmly from behind Lexa, taking a step out from her, “Drop your guns and we can solve this without anyone else getting hurt. Whatever this is, whatever is going on; can be solved peacefully.”

 

“The only way anyone is going to get hurt is if they don’t listen to me. I’m in charge now, I’m protecting these people but if they don’t like the way I’m going to run this place and they want to leave then they can but they can’t take anything from here. You won’t survive on the outside so the most humane thing for me to order is to shoot anyone on sight trying to leave.” Tristan said loudly as he looked around the crowd, “You people have lived so easily in here since we started rebuilding it, well no more. We have cleaned up your mess, we have protected you and we have provided for you, it’s time that you all start paying us the respect we deserve and start contributing or you can end up in the graveyard, it’s your choice.”

 

“This is our job, we are supposed to protect people; not shoot them or rule over them. We’re rebuilding what we lost, we’re doing this for the good of humanity, and we’re all equal.” Raven snapped irritably, “Are you actually insane?!”

 

“Is it our job? Who and what government is paying us to protect these people? You guys should know better than anyone else, I know where you were sent for your last rescue mission, you almost died to save people who you don’t owe anything, people who probably contributed to the start of this whole screwed up world. They started this, they all started this and now we have to keep the world together and I’m sick of having to do things their way, the old way. I mean that’s what got us into this mess in the first place, right?” Tristan asked as he jumped down from the hood of the car to stand face to face with a furious but confused Lexa, “You are on our side, you were a great Commander and I admire your leadership but if you won’t stand with us then you know where that leaves you and that won’t end well for you or your squad. Every soldier in this compound agrees with what I am saying, I’m not saying this or doing this to be selfish, I am doing this because no one else would. I’m doing this because we have been used for far too long and we are in far too much danger for what we get, we own this place because we are the ones who run this place; not the one government official for a government that really doesn’t exist anymore.”

 

“This place is not yours to take, it’s everyone’s. We all worked our asses off; we lost countless lives to build this place into what it is.” Lexa spoke heatedly as she gritted her teeth, breathing heavily as her heart began to pound, almost visible through a vein in her neck “You know the Secretary isn’t going to stand for this, he is the one who is running this operation, and you have to answer to him.”

 

“I don’t think the secretary will have much to say, believe me.” Tristan said with a shake of his head, his chin lifting slightly in the air as he towered over Lexa; who almost looked tiny in comparison to the large, hulking soldier in front of her, “I’m in charge now; you take your orders from me. I control the power supply, I control the food rations, I control the water, I control when you sleep, who gets treated, who is on duty and I control who comes in and out of these gates.”

 

“What did you do?” Lexa seethed as she stood with her nose just inches from Tristan’s face, her jaw tightening as she looked around the group of soldiers who were seemingly taking their orders from Tristan, “You’re all okay with this? You’re all okay with killing innocent people because this guy here all of a sudden has a leadership complex?”

 

“These guys came to _me_ ; they wanted a change so they came to _me._ I suggest you stop trying to stand in the way of progress and get used to taking orders from someone else than your friends. That’s the only way you became a Commander here anyway.” Tristan responded, folding his arms smugly over his chest as he turned around to face his back towards the brunette.

 

“You’re the one who sent Anya away, you sent her,” Lexa said quickly as she pulled Tristan’s arm tightly, spinning him around roughly and lifting her assault rifle to the soldier’s face; her chest now rising and falling rapidly, “If you hurt her, I swear to god I will end you right now.”

Within seconds of Lexa’s raised weapon, she found every gun trained on her head by the soldiers who had been aiming at civilians just seconds ago. Immediately Lexa saw her squad ready their aim at the surrounding soldiers, though they were greatly outnumbered; Lexa knew that they weren’t going to stand down.

 

“It seems we have a bit of a problem then.” Tristan said with a shake of his head, his eyes looking into the barrel of the gun aimed straight at his face, Lexa’s jaw clenching to the point where she wasn’t sure if she would be able to move it once this was all over, “You pull that trigger then you’re going to kill everyone you love, I know you care about your squad so what would be the point be of getting them killed for a stupid move you made? I didn’t hurt Anya, she’s gone to Texas and you have my word for that; she was my Commanding officer at the very beginning of this.”

 

“These people are terrified.” Clarke snapped as her aim stayed firmly locked on a soldier who was aiming directly at her girlfriend, “We might be outnumbered but if you start firing at us then we’re going to take a few of you with us.”

 

“We shouldn’t be fighting each other, you are a good squad. The rules are changing in our favour, you should be happy that I’m running this place,” Tristan said with a shrug and a smirk, “It benefits us the most. This place just needs to be cleaned up a bit, Fort Woods could be more efficient, it could be safer and I’m going to make the difficult decisions to make it so.”

 

“Aiming your guns at innocent civilians isn’t a difficult decision, it’s cowardly.” Raven yelled angrily as her finger rested dangerously on the trigger, “Give me the word Commander and I will blow this guy’s brains out, I’m not too sure we will find much up there though.”

 

“Put your guns down,” Lexa breathed with an air of reluctance as she moved her weapon to her side regretfully and looked around at her squad, “I’m not getting you all killed here tonight, this isn’t going to solve anything.”

 

“Very good decision.” Tristan replied instantly.

 

“Doesn’t mean that I am taking orders from you and it doesn’t mean that any of this is okay,” Lexa said through gritted teeth, “You let these people return to their homes right now and you try and repair the damage you have just caused.”

 

“The damage was already done before this, these people don’t respect us. I don’t understand why you don’t see that. We do _everything_ for them and we get absolutely nothing for it so it’s about time that they started respecting us the way we deserve to be respected,” Tristan said with a shake of his head, “Your squad won’t have to deal with any of this tomorrow anyway, radio has picked up a distress signal in the same area you came from today; we have more survivors out there and you guys are the best ones to get them.”

 

“No.” Lexa responded defiantly, “No, we’re not going out there again.”

 

“I just said that you were.”

 

“I don’t know who you think put you in charge but I’m not going back out to that area with my squad, it’s a suicide mission and I can’t in a good conscience send them out there again unless we have a bigger group. There is a strong bandit presence out there and we’ll die if we go. I know people need rescuing but I can’t sacrifice my squad in order to go out there and probably come back with no one” Lexa replied as she took a step away from Tristan, towards her squad, “This isn’t up for discussion, we aren’t going out there tomorrow.”

 

“We will talk about this when we all have clear heads in the morning,” Tristan said lowly as his eyes stayed locked on Lexa’s momentarily before sighing deeply and looking towards the civilians who had now gathered to watch the commotion, “These people are leaving because they have no faith in our systems, they have no faith in the rest of you to live in a community together. We will all get along if you all follow the rules, we don’t want things to end up this way but if you don’t do what you are asked then you have no place in Fort Woods. Starting from now, curfew will be enforced and you will all be in your homes from sunset to ensure your safety. I would suggest everyone clear out right now so we can start fresh tomorrow; we have a lot of work to do to clean this place up.”

 

“They’re going to turn on you; you’re shooting yourself in the foot.” Lexa warned slowly as she looked at the disgruntled yet scared look on the faces of the civilians witnessing this show of ridiculous power from Tristan and his squad, “These people won’t always be scared of you.”

 

“We have the weapons soldier, they will feel and do whatever we tell them to do,” Tristan responded as his eyes moved to the squad members around her, “I suggest we all go and cool off for tonight, we’ll discuss your work assignments in the morning.”

 

“So you think we’re just going to let you off the hook?” Raven asked angrily, her finger still resting on the trigger as she kept her aim tightly on Tristan “Is that what you really think?”

 

“Raven, gun down,” Lexa ordered reluctantly, “Let’s go.”

 

“Are you serious?” Raven asked shaking her head, “Are you seriously just going to walk away from this? They were about to murder those civilians just because they wanted to leave.”

 

“I know,” Lexa responded seriously, “We’re outnumbered and I’ll be damned if you’re all going to die because of this right now. I don’t want to walk away as much as you don’t want to.”

 

“I’ll have someone come and fetch you in the morning; we can discuss your work detail then.” Tristan replied once more, “I suggest you go now though while I haven’t really registered that you had your gun in my face only moments ago.”

 

“Lexa, come on.” Clarke said as she slipped her hand into the brunette’s as it rested by her side, her eyes still locked on Tristan as he stood in front of the Commander, “These people aren’t going to forget this.”

 

“That’s the point.” Tristan answered with a nod as he looked around at Lexa’s squad, “You guys would be wise to remember this too.”

 

Lexa took one last look at Tristan before she obliged to Clarke’s gentle tugging of her hand, stepping backwards as her eyes darted to the civilians who were being pulled to their feet by the same soldiers who had aimed their weapons at them only minutes ago.

 

“So we’re just going to let him get away with that?” Raven asked as she grabbed Lexa’s shoulder roughly as they began walking back to their demountable, spinning her Commander around in the process, “They would have killed someone if we didn’t show up when we did; they would have killed a civilian that was just trying to leave.”

 

“They would have killed us too if I had done anything more,” Lexa mumbled as she avoided eye contact with Raven, looking anywhere but at her soldier’s eyes, “I’m not going to let him get away with this but there wasn’t much option from there. I have no idea what in the hell is going on but I do know that I need to find out where the secretary is and where they have actually sent Anya.”

 

“Do you think the secretary left?” Jasper asked looking around the group as they continued to walk, Raven shoving her hands in her pockets while she dragged her feet at the rear of the group, “Has he really taken over Fort Woods?”

 

“I don’t think he would have left but I have no idea what has happened.” Lexa responded with a furrowed brow, “I don’t know what is going on just yet.”

 

“What I ~~do~~ know is that we can’t go back out there, we can’t go back to that same place. We’ll be killed.” Bellamy stated angrily, “Octavia was shot because we were sent out there.”

 

“We’re not going back out there.” Lexa shook her head, “I’m not going to let us go back out there. Not right now.”

 

“So what do we do?” Raven asked, her tone dripping with frustration, “What do we do now that this Tristan guy thinks he has taken over?”

 

“I want you to pack your things.” Lexa responded as they reached their homes, looking around the group as their eyes locked on their Commander, “If the secretary is gone and Anya isn’t around then we don’t have many allies, if things continue the way they are going then we could be in serious danger and would be better off trying our luck outside those walls again rather than staying in here.”

 

“With all of those bandits out there, we’re dead either way.” Jasper protested with a shake of his head, “At least this way, we have a chance to fight back.”

 

“Lexa’s right,” Clarke said with a shake of her head, “If we are out there then we at least know an attack will be coming; if we stay here and things get worse than we won’t see anything coming. We have a better chance to fight outside than inside here, there look to be too many soldiers taking Tristan’s side on this.”

 

“Pack your stuff, we’ll make a decision tomorrow but stay alert tonight. I’ll figure something out.” Lexa responded, looking around the group as they all looked to one another.

 

Raven was the first to move, stomping off towards her trailer with the others following until it was just Clarke and Lexa left out the front of their demountable, their eyes meeting and Clarke reading the brunette’s worried expression immediately.

 

“I think we just found out why there has been so much tension between the civilians and soldiers,” Clarke said with a sigh, placing her hands on her hips as she looked over Lexa’s shoulder before locking eyes with her girlfriend once more, “Lexa this is dangerous, if he is running this place; who knows what the hell could happen in here.”

 

“He can’t be running this place,” Lexa shook her head, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, “I have to find out where the secretary is, I need to know what is going on or at least what’s happened to him.”

 

“I can’t believe that they were about to kill a civilian like it was nothing. We’re supposed to be the ones protecting them, we’re supposed to be taking care of them and protecting them from what’s outside of those walls and it looks like that whatever is inside these walls is worse than whatever is out there,” Clarke said, her voice just above a whisper while her eyes darted between Lexa’s, “I lost the Ark, I don’t know if I can lose this place too after everything we have been through in here.”

 

“If we have to leave to keep you alive, then that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Lexa said firmly as she took a step forward into Clarke, resting her forehead against the blonde’s as she took a few purposeful and deep breaths before swallowing thickly, “We have been through too much for things to end here; we didn’t survive this long ~~for~~ or through everything that we have just for it to finish here.”

 

“Where are we going to go?”

 

“I have no idea,” Lexa admitted with a brief shake of her head, her eyes staying glued to the blonde’s blue eyes that were shining in front of her, “But I’ll figure something out, _we’ll_ figure something out.”

 

\---

 

Lexa struggled to get any sleep that night, constantly replaying the events that had unfolded in front of her over the past few days and wondering what their next move was going to be if they had the opportunity to make it. She knew that they couldn’t stay. If things were as bad as she thought they were then they were going to have to leave Fort Woods as soon as possible and as much as she didn’t want to leave the civilians or the place they had been so influential in building; she also knew that it was the smartest move to better their chances of survival. Life now was all about survival, Lexa knew that better than others and whilst she wasn’t proud of many actions she had made; she had managed to keep herself and most of the people she cared about alive and that was all that mattered to her at that moment.

 

Daylight was yet to break as Lexa stood from her bed, rubbing her eyes roughly before turning around to see Clarke sleeping soundly as a chill shot down her spine. Something about watching the woman she loved more than life itself so peaceful in slumber calmed her to no end, it made her think that maybe peace was achievable for all of them within their own lives; even her own.

 

She had made up her mind, before she could make a decision she was going to have to see if she could find out what happened to Anya and the Secretary; even if the worst truth was realised. She leaned down quickly to place a gentle kiss on Clarke’s forehead before she exited their demountable, noticing the eerie quietness that surrounded their area, noticing how brightly and beautifully the stars were shining above her; as if the universe had no idea of the horrors going on below it.

 

The Commander moved slowly towards the back row of trailers, taking the long way towards the communications room in hopes that she could somehow find the means to contact Texas or find out if their communications systems really had gone down and that’s where Anya had been sent. On one hand, she wanted an answer that would prove without a shadow of a doubt Anya’s position and if she had actually been sent to Texas but on the other hand, she kind of just wanted to believe that Anya was safe in the other camp or on her way there at the very least.

 

She moved through camp silently, knowing that she could walk the layout of the area in the dark; assuring herself that she could navigate her way around even with her eyes closed. She reached the radio and communications trailer without any major concern, keeping her head down as she knocked on the door lightly; her mind racing to figure out what she was going to do once the door was opened. She thought she had a lot of allies within Fort Woods; she was a well-respected soldier within the rebuilt community; but she still had very little knowledge on what Tristan was running and who exactly was siding with him.

 

“Who is it?” She heard a muffled voice on the other side of the door, causing Lexa to freeze in place as she cleared her throat to firm her voice.

 

“This is your Commander; I need access to this room immediately to be briefed on the communications issue with Texas.” Lexa said confidently as her heart rate picked up slightly, eyeing her surroundings for any movement before hearing the door open; only to have her being pulled inside by the arm roughly.

 

“What are you doing out here?” Raven asked as she shut the door quickly behind her Commander, locking it quietly as she moved back to a vacant chair by the radio that looked as if it had been completely pulled apart.

 

“What are you doing here?” The brunette asked with a raised eyebrow, “You’re on my squad.”

 

“I’m finding out whatever the hell is going on in this god forsaken place. If I can get in contact with someone in Texas then I can figure out what the hell is happening here,” Raven grumbled as she rubbed her eyes quickly, surveying the dismantled radio, “It’s not like this thing fried itself, this was in perfect working condition the last time I came in here.”

 

“When did you have time sneak in here?” Lexa asked as she looked around the room, “How did you even get in here unsupervised?”

 

“Listen, a girl can find her way in here when she is in a camp with mostly men. That and I convinced the dude in here that I was with Tristan and it was my shift in the communications room. It sounds like this guy has a lot of friends,” Raven said as she began to work once more on the radio, a frown on her face, “What the hell are we going to do?”

 

“That depends on what has happened to Anya,” Lexa mumbled seriously as she could only watch her squad mate toy with the small wires, “That depends if the Secretary is still around and it depends how quickly we can get Octavia out of that hospital.”

 

“I think we should leave,” Raven responded honestly with a small shrug, “I’m sure as hell not going to stand by while they treat people the way they are treating them and I don’t think you would either. I’m actually surprised you didn’t try and go all Rambo when we were out by the gate.”

 

“We don’t know what we are dealing with right now and exactly how deep this all goes. As much as I wanted to do something right then and there,” Lexa paused with gritted teeth as her eyes focussed on the table where the radio was sitting, her eyebrows creasing as she noticed the flat but worn map covering the surface, “I’ve learnt that sometimes cooler heads prevail.”

 

“This is weird,” Raven said, freezing in her position as she pulled on one of the wires.

 

“I just saw that map too.” Lexa said with a nod, walking towards the table and smoothing out the map with her hand, her fingers following the lines and circles marking the otherwise clean paper, “I…”

 

“No, this radio,” Raven spoke quietly, ducking under the table within an instant, “Holy crap.”

 

“Can you fix it?”

 

“I don’t think someone wants me to,” The soldier said after a pause in conversation, her voice quieting immediately, “Lexa, this isn’t good.”  


“What are you talking about?” Lexa questioned, ducking under the table to follow Raven’s line of sight; her stomach dropping as she noticed the very same thing the other girl had been looking at, “The wires are cut but it’s just this radio on the frequency to Texas. The other radio that picks up incoming signals from refugees is working perfectly”

 

“Someone cut these wires and they didn’t do a very secretive job about it. This was working fine when I came in here before we went out to find those refugees. I’m not sure that all of those people came to Tristan because they wanted to; I think he’s scared them into doing this.”

 

“He wanted these people to be scared of something going on in Texas,” Lexa followed Raven’s thought train as she stood once more to lean her hands against the table as she stared down at the map below her, “He knew that people were starting to lose confidence in the secretary so he decided to make a case for himself, to make a play for the position of power here knowing what our soldiers want to hear.”

 

“Looks to me like he’s finding ways to remove anyone or anything that stands in his way, one way or another,” Raven grumbled, moving out from under the table to sit back on her seat, “He sent us out to that location because he didn’t want us to come back.”  


“The thought did cross my mind.” The Commander responded honestly, “And that’s why all of a sudden he knows that there are more people out there, that there’s another pick up to be done around there.”

 

“Son of a…” Raven trailed off as she shook her head, raking a hand through her hair roughly, “We’re officially screwed if we don’t figure this out because he sent us out there to die. He sent us out there to die because you’re a respected Commander, he’s sent Anya to god knows where and who in the hell knows what’s happened to the Secretary or anyone else who might have objected to him taking over.”

 

“We don’t know that though,” Lexa replied, not even believing the words that had come out of her mouth, “It looks likely but we don’t know that for sure.”

 

“What we do know is that we have to get the hell out of Fort Woods,” Raven responded, moving under the table once more as she tugged on a wire, “And I can start that by fixing this god damned radio to tell Texas what is going on here.”

 

“No, don’t.” The brunette Commander spoke instantly.

 

“What?” The soldier asked as she pushed herself out again to look up to her Commander, “What do you mean, no don’t?”

 

“I mean, these people want this radio to be broken. We can’t make contact and fix it or they’re going to know that we’re aware of this. Tristan’s just put his cards on the table, he has no idea what we have just figured out,” Lexa said thoughtfully, her mind racing as her stomach churned uncomfortably, “I hate this and I hate to say this even more but we can’t make contact with Texas, chances are someone over there knows what is happening here too. We can’t do that yet because the less we know, the less we are a threat to Tristan and the longer we can stay alive until we figure out what the hell we are going to do.”

 

“Figure out what we are going to do?” Raven stood to her feet quickly, shaking her head furiously, “What is there to figure out? We have to get the hell out of here before we end up like Anya and the Secretary.”

 

“We don’t know what’s happened to them,” Lexa responded slowly, trying to be as calm as she could manage in the situation, “We think we know but we don’t know for sure.”

 

“We _do_ know for sure; they’ve killed the Secretary, I’m sorry to say that Anya is not in Texas because they’ve done the same thing to her and we’re next if we don’t get the hell out of here. You said it yourself, we have been through too much just to die in here,” Raven replied, her voice growing in anger, pick “I know we went through hell to get to this place, we went through even more hell to stay here but this isn’t something we can just overcome. This is literally an army who are just doing what they want and that’s scary as hell.”

 

“This map,” Lexa muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing as she concentrated on the markings with a shake of her head as Raven groaned in frustration.

 

“Yes, it’s a map of the area.” Raven responded with a roll of her eyes, before continuing spitefully with her arms folded tightly against her chest “Sometimes I kind of wonder how you got to be a Commander.”

 

“These are positions of camps, these are positions of camps that call for help,” Lexa said slowly in realisation, her already fast beating heart picking up in pace once more as she quickly connected dots, her finger pointing harshly at a specific spot, “That’s where we just were, or that’s where they were supposed to be anyway. There’s a cross against the camp, that’s why people out there are so scared of the military…they’ve been raiding their camps. What the Bandits said to me was true, that’s what they said was going on under my nose.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about Lexa?” Raven raised both her eyebrows with a confused expression, “Bandits told you that the military had been attacking them and you failed to mention this?”

 

“That’s why they are after the military and I’m not convinced now that they’re wrong,” Lexa spoke quietly as she looked over to her friend who was close behind her, “We have been sending out squads for refugee extraction more than usual, that’s why we’re on skeleton squads right now but we haven’t come back with any refugees since we got back. They’re coming back saying that they couldn’t find people but they’re coming back with supplies that we know aren’t just out there. This has been happening for a while and we’ve had no idea until right now.”

 

“Chances are that anyone who did know has now been taken out, meaning we’re probably going to be next if we don’t get the hell out of here,” Raven urged her Commander quickly with a shake of her head, “Let’s just agree to go on this mission and get the hell out of here and not come back.”

 

“I don’t want to just leave all of these people here, they came here with the promise that they would be safe; they came here for refuge.” Lexa replied, her response surprising herself considering the conversation she had with Clarke earlier about this very same subject but now she actually knew something horrible was happening within the walls of Fort Woods, before coming to the ultimate realisation of what their life was now all about, “But if we want to survive, I’m not sure we have a choice right now.”

 

“This is insane, why can’t something be straight forward in the apocalypse?”

 

“We have to get out of here, go back to your house and pack lightly. Wake everyone up and tell them to pack, I’ll be right there but I have to go see Octavia and see if she can move first because we can’t leave her.” Lexa said quickly as she backed away from the table towards the door, “We might have to leave Fort Woods.”

 

**Days since Vaccine: 263**  
**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty  
** **Location : Fort Woods, Washington DC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?  
> I will update as soon as I can :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience guys! This is a massive chapter (Sorry) both in content and size. A whole lot happens that will open this story up.

**Days since Vaccine: 263**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Location : Fort Woods, Washington DC**

 

Lexa walked quickly through camp as the sun began to rise, her body moving while her mind was firmly still inside the communications room; the thought of whether Clarke had already woken up alone in their house or whether Raven would have to be the one to do so burned inside her brain.

 

The Commander’s body felt numb; she had been betrayed before, she had met some troubling people but for her, what she had just pieced together was something worse than what she could have ever imagined. The rebuild was supposed to be the start of something different, the start of something new but it turned out that whilst human beings were still around; the blemishes of mankind’s selfish habits would always find a way to rise to the surface.

 

She felt stuck, on one hand she wanted to pull out her assault rifle and tear down whoever had started the entire mess; ridding Fort Woods of the evil that was threatening to take over. On the other hand, she knew she could do nothing to stop what was going on short of trying to put a stop to every corrupt member of the military and end up being killed herself along with the rest of her squad. She didn’t want to leave the refugees, she didn’t want them to be stuck in a place where they had no freedom but she had to think of the people she cared about in that situation, she had to focus on the woman she loved.

 

It was everything she feared, her worst fears coming to realisation as she moved quickly, not towards the hospital but to somewhere else. If she was going to leave, she was going to know for sure what had happened to Anya and the Secretary, because if Tristan had ordered the murder of them both, Lexa would make sure that one day she came back and gave him exactly what he deserved.

 

She paused as she saw Tristan emerge from the Secretaries office on her way to Anya’s trailer, being followed by 2 other soldiers. Her body once again moved on its own accord, seeing red as her chest heaved; she did something that she knew would cause trouble for herself later but if he had killed one of her oldest friends; he was going to receive more mercy from an infected ripping him apart than he would from Lexa.

 

“You son of a bitch,” Lexa seethed as she pulled her pistol from its holster as she came up beside Tristan, holding the barrel of the gun directly to his temple; hearing two weapons being turned on her as she found herself in a very similar situation as last night, “How long ago did you kill Anya? When did you kill the Secretary?”

 

“Anya is alive,” Tristan said quickly with a shake of his head, “If you don’t remove that gun from my head then I can’t tell you where she is. Besides, I would hate to have to make an example out of you, so stand down and we can discuss this.”

 

“What’s there to discuss? You killed the Secretary of State.” Lexa spoke quietly, feeling a gun being pressed up against her back.

 

“I want to work with you, I respect you so please don’t make me shoot you right here right now.” Tristan responded with a slow shake of his head, “Come inside and we can discuss everything, including your work detail.”

 

Lexa exhaled sharply, knowing that she couldn’t just shoot Tristan in the middle of camp knowing that she would then be killed as well as anyone she cared about who was inside the walls of Fort Woods so she reluctantly dropped her gun and placed it back in her holster. She was grabbed by her arms tightly as they were placed behind her back, trying to jerk them away from the soldiers who had her firmly in their grip as they walked back into the Secretaries office.

 

She was let go as soon as the door closed, Tristan moving to sit on the Secretaries desk with an almost blank look on his face, though his eyes displayed a strong annoyance with what Lexa had just done.

 

“Lexa you know as well as I do that the Secretary was losing support of the soldiers within the camp, especially after he introduced the vaccine which wiped out half of the population of Fort Woods before just taking it away and shutting down the production or research without any further development and we’re still struggling to come back from that,” Tristan said simply, placing his dirty boots up on the Secretaries desk as he reclined back in the chair, “But what was even more unpopular with the soldiers, which you would have noticed if you weren’t so caught up in your own personal missions or your squad was that the men and women working here no longer want to be at risk because we are protecting these refugees. We were all taken away from our families at the start of this whole thing to protect our countrymen but now we have nothing to show for it. We don’t want to put our lives at risk if we’re the ones who are going to suffer or fall first.”

 

“So your excuse for killing a man is that he was losing support?”

 

“How many people have you killed Lexa?” Tristan asked simply as he furrowed his eyebrows, “How many people have you killed because it’s what needed to be done?”

 

“So what is your solution to this whole thing? To take over and run this place like a dictatorship? To scare the civilians here into submission so you’ll have no opposition in how you run this place? If you haven’t noticed, those bandits are going after our heads out there. These people won’t be scared of you forever and it’s going to be very dangerous for you to go about this how you are right now.” Lexa said seriously as her eyes stayed locked on Tristan who clenched his jaw tightly as she spoke, her stomach churning at the thought of what was to come for what she once thought was such a positive initiative.

 

“We can handle the bandits, we are the military and whilst we may not have a government; someone needs to run this place and set the rules,” Tristan replied with a shake of his head, “I’m sure these people would rather be in here than risking it out there.”

 

“I actually agree with you there because if they are in here, they have a very low chance of being attacked by the people who are supposed to be protecting them,” Lexa spoke quickly, exhaling shakily as she paused knowing that what she was about to say could get her into some serious trouble, “You’ve been going into refugee camps calling for help and you have been taking their things, you have been raiding their supplies and you’ve been driving them out if you’ve come across them and they didn’t want to come with. That’s why everyone out there hates the military, you’ve been ordering soldiers to slaughter innocent people who are just trying to survive and when the Secretary found out; you killed him too.”

 

“Wouldn’t that then pose the question of what do I do with you now that you know this?” Tristan asked quickly, unmoving from his position as he held Lexa’s gaze with a hardened expression, “We have mouths to feed here, we are very short on food; the crops aren’t growing, most of our water became contaminated and we don’t get paid for putting our lives at risk. We have some difficult decisions to make and I don’t think the Secretary could have made them, so someone had to and when I was approached to lead this camp; I knew I was asked for a reason.”

 

“We’re being hunted like dogs on the outside; I was captured because I was military. They all think we’re the same and that’s dangerous for everyone. What happens when we do enough damage and the bandits then turn on this place? What happens to the civilians we are trying to protect?” Lexa asked with an incredulous expression on her face.

 

“This place is too heavily fortified for anyone to come here and take over, it just can’t happen and I think you know that. I want to work together, you’re a huge asset to this compound but if you’re going to be an obstacle then we have a major problem,” Tristan said with a sigh as he glanced to the soldier behind Lexa, giving him a small shake of his head before putting his feet back on the ground and standing, “I have soldiers outside of your quarters right now, outside the houses of each of your squad mates; so I want to know if we are going to have any further problems in this office right now or you are done talking about this?”

 

“What are you going to do with everyone that opposes you? Shoot them?” Lexa asked angrily, her fists clenching by her sides, “These people _will_ turn against you if you continue down this road.”

 

“These people need protection, these people need our services; they are here because they couldn’t survive on the outside world. If they want to stay here, then they have to take their orders from me,” Tristan said with a shrug, pushing the chair backwards as he stood; towering over Lexa even as the desk separated them, “Are we going to have any further problems in this office, or not?”

 

“No.” Lexa said firmly, gritting her teeth with a small shake of her head, “But I refuse to take orders from someone who is not my superior.”

 

“So if you don’t want to take orders from me, why don’t you leave?” Tristan asked simply, shrugging his shoulders, “You have provided a great service to this military, you provided this place with a vaccine that once production and research continues; will work and we’re not going to be at risk of an outbreak any longer. So as an isolated offer, I’m going to let you and whoever wants to join you from your squad to leave by sundown today. If you stay; then I expect complete cooperation, if you leave then there will be no hard feelings. I’ll let you take a truck and a few supplies to get a head start; you just have to make sure you can all survive out there in those conditions,” 

 

 “Wait, you’re going to produce that vaccine again? After everything that happened? After everything you were just saying? That vaccine helped dozens but it killed hundreds, it’s one of the reasons the world is even worse outside these walls” Lexa’s voice grew in tone and anger as she felt heat against her skin, “Do you realise what you are doing?”

 

“The doctors and scientists we have left assure me that they can single out the strain that is infecting people and I don’t think we’re in a position to ignore what we have in front of us. The Secretary started a great thing; he just couldn’t execute it properly so that’s what we are going to do. It worked on you, right?”

 

“If I had known the risks at the very beginning than I would have never been injected with the vaccine, you can’t unleash it on this place again,” The Commander shook her head quickly as she reached down to place her hand on her gun holster, “You have no authority to do any of this, Texas will find out what’s going on and you’ll be stopped.”

 

“There is no authority, there is no government, there is no president and the highest ranking official we had is no more. Our compound in Texas follows orders from here, as far as they know there was a breach in the wall; the Z’s got in and we had some casualties,” Tristan said simply, his chest puffed out as a sign of dominance as he watched Lexa’s hand very carefully, “Remember where I said I had soldiers positioned, don’t make a stupid decision.”

 

“I can’t just let you own these people in here, they are civilians.”

 

“They are my civilians and I will protect them, they just have to work for it now. Whoever is in Fort Woods will be guaranteed protection from the outside so long as they are vaccinated once this clears and they agree to follow the rules; that’s it. Believe me; people lived in worse conditions before the Z’s came along.” Tristan folded his arms tightly to his chest as he took a few steps towards Lexa around the desk, “So what will it be?”

 

“I’d rather take my chances out there than stay in here,” Lexa responded, taking a step into Tristan as a sign of her unwillingness to back down, “On one condition though.”

 

“What’s that?”  


“I want you to release Anya and I want her to come with me,” Lexa spoke strongly, her voice firm as she exhaled shakily, “You give me to her and we walk out of here.”

 

“I don’t have Anya in custody; she is in Texas like I have told you. I respect her far too much so that’s why under strong…influence, we sent her to Texas,” Tristan answered simply, a smirk pulling at his lips, “I wish we could come to terms.”

 

“If I find out that she is anywhere other than Texas, if you have touched a hair on her head then I’ll kill you.”

 

“I’ll be sure to remember that” Tristan replied, sarcasm dripping from his words, “Now I suggest that you go brief whoever you want to on your squad. We’ll provide you with your vehicle, you can take your weapons but everything else has to stay here. If you’re here after sundown then you will be treated as hostile and I’ll give orders to shoot you on sight.”

 

It took all of Lexa’s strength not to grasp her gun and place a bullet through Tristan’s brain as he stood in front of her with a menacing smirk on his face. His eyes darted between Lexa’s as he waited for her response, knowing that the brunette was only moments away from snapping. She exhaled deeply, remembering that Tristan had claimed to have soldiers positioned outside of her demountable, _Clarke’s_ demountable. She took a step backwards only moments after, backing directly into a soldier who was very close behind; turning around to push her way towards the door and headed out without even a second thought.

 

The Commander hurried her way through camp as the sun began to shine it’s light on Fort Woods, Lexa looking around the area and wondered what it would turn into under Tristan’s reign. She didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to have to run nor did she want to leave the civilians under his command but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. The soldier knew she would be met with some resistance from her squad mates to leave the place they had put such hard work into but that day she was faced with a choice of flight or die; because she knew that no one in their right minds could stand around and watch what she assumed was going to happen to people within the compound.

 

As she arrived back to her demountable, she found Raven had gathered every available squad member outside, including Lincoln who looked weary and worn as he stood patiently with his hand resting above his head.

 

“Lexa, what is going on?” Clarke asked as her girlfriend moved to be close to the blonde, the Commander moving to place a quick but tender kiss on the other girl’s temple as she watched impatiently.

 

“We have to be out of Fort Woods by sundown.” Lexa said simply as she pulled away from Clarke, staying close to her girlfriend but looking around the group, “I’ve been told that we have the option to leave but if we decide this is the case then we have to leave by sundown.”

 

“So that’s it? After last night, we’re just leaving this place without putting up a fight?” Jasper asked with raised eyebrows, an incredulous look on his face, “We’re just going to hand over the place that we worked so hard to build?”

 

“You can stay if you want but I think that leaving Fort Woods is our best option, this place might seem safer but it’s not.” Lexa responded calmly, feeling Clarke loop her arm around her waist and give it a tight squeeze, “I don’t want to leave but I think with things that have just come to light, we have a better chance of survival outside of this place.”

 

“Screw this place, I’ve already packed my bag.” Raven announced, folding her arms tightly; all eyes falling to her, “What? If you just saw what Lexa and I did, you would be out those gates already.”

 

“What did you see?” Lincoln asked with a shake of his head, “You know that I would never question you as a leader, I have no doubt we are alive here today because of decisions you have made but we’re in a military stronghold. We are protected; we have food, shelter and a hospital that Octavia is currently in. We have nowhere to go, no supplies and not to mention that every bandit out there wants our heads, not to mention the endless stream of infected that we’re going to have to try and take care of.”

 

“I don’t think she would have needed to see anything after that display last night. Tristan is completely out of control and we’d be smart to get out of here before Fort Woods swallows us whole,” Echo responded with a furrowed brow, looking to her squadmate and old friend who had just spoken, “I don’t think we need to have this discussion, I think we should be packing the rest of our things and getting the hell out of here.”

 

“Tristan has support and he has a lot of it, this has been going on for a while without our knowledge but clearly things are at a tipping point. Raven and I went into the communications room and we found out why the communications with Texas are down.” Lexa began before she was interrupted by Raven.

 

“The bastards cut their own wires, they don’t want communication with Texas; I found that out myself.”

 

“When did you go to the communications room?” Clarke asked the brunette beside her, “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were going?”

 

“Because I didn’t know what I was going to find. The wires were cut intentionally to halt communications between compounds and it doesn’t take too much to figure out that this is part of the plan. We aren’t safe in here, Fort Woods has been compromised, the Secretary has been disposed of and I still don’t know what has happened to Anya. We’ve been sent out to that area swarming with infected and bandits because Tristan didn’t want us coming back, they have been sending out rescue squads only to be raiding camps and stealing their possessions, killing anyone who tries to defend themselves.” Lexa explained carefully and quietly as she looked each individual in the eyes, “He somehow has gained the confidence of the soldiers here and convinced them that they need these supplies because the Secretary has failed to run this place, he has convinced himself that all of this is okay and that’s the most dangerous part. This place is going to implode and I don’t want to be anywhere near it when it does, I don’t want to leave as much as you all but I also don’t want to die because of this.”

 

“How do you know all this?” Monty asked furrowing his eyebrows, his eyes wide with fear.

 

“Because Tristan couldn’t deny any of that when I confronted him and he also let me know that he had no problems beginning research and trials for the vaccine again,” Lexa’s words were met with complete silence as the group looked the their Commander, she exhaled loudly; rubbing her face roughly with her free hand only to flinch as she touched the bruise on her cheek, “I don’t want to leave these people with him, I don’t want to leave everything we helped build but I don’t think we have an option considering everything I have just learnt. We either cooperate with him, being the very reason why those bandits are after us on the outside or we can leave and take our chances like we were doing before. We weren’t secure like we are in here but we were surviving.”

 

“Barely surviving,” Jasper responded quietly with a shake of his head, “So you’re happy to just condemn the rest of the civilians here to live in this, leaving them when we are supposed to be protecting them?”

 

“Jasper I don’t know what you want her to do,” Raven responded with a tone of frustration, “I don’t want to leave, no one wants to leave but if we don’t one way or another we’re going to end up like the Secretary because Tristan knows that people trust Lexa. Like it or not, you’re a part of her squad now and if you don’t leave then you’ll probably be killed too because I don’t imagine you are going to agree with what he is doing.”

 

“There are more civilians in here now than there are military personnel, surely if we tell them what is going on then we can put a stop to this quickly.” Jasper continued as he looked around the group, “Surely I’m not the only one who thinks like this; if we act quickly we can stop Tristan.”

 

“Raven’s right, Jasper” Clarke added with a firm nod, “No one wants to leave but it doesn’t sound like we have much of a choice. Yes, there are more civilians than Military but these civilians aren’t trained, most of them are weak or sick and are terrified. If Lexa thinks the best course of action is to leave then we should listen.”

 

“I know I’m asking a lot of you and I know that this isn’t easy to hear, it’s not easy to say considering everything we have been through but I think we are now safer outside these walls than in.” Lexa spoke with conviction as she looked to her squad once more, “If you want to stay, I can’t force you to come with but considering what Tristan has just told me, I think we need to take our chances on the outside.”

 

“What about my sister?” Bellamy asked, running a hand through his hair quickly as he took a step towards Lexa, “What do we do about Octavia?”

 

“We’re not leaving her behind,” Lexa said immediately as she looked between Lincoln and Bellamy, “We’ll make arrangements for her to be as comfortable as possible while she is healing, I know this isn’t ideal for anyone but I wouldn’t be asking this of you all if I didn’t think we were in immediate danger. Anyone can stay, you just have to make a choice whether you want to be a part of what is going on here; knowing that if you speak out about it you’ll be dealt with just like those civilians were about to be.”

 

“I’ll go by the hospital and gather whatever medication for her that I can before anyone is aware of what is happening, we’ll make sure she’s looked after.” Clarke reassured both Bellamy and Lincoln as she rubbed the small of Lexa’s back subtly to show her girlfriend support in the situation, “We’re stronger as a group, we’ll get through this. If we don’t keep moving from here then we die, it’s as simple as that.”

 

“I want you to think about it, think about everything. If you want to leave then gather your things, get some food and we will meet back here at midday, this will get us far enough away from here by sundown,” Lexa said firmly to the group as she looked around, “Any questions?”

 

“Do you think Anya’s dead?” Echo asked slowly, her hands intertwined in front of her.

 

“I don’t know,” The Commander said after a moment of thought, “I’ve been told that she hasn’t been harmed but I’m not sure Tristan is true to his word. The only way to find out would be to go to Texas and see for ourselves.”

 

“Is that where we’re going?” Monty asked sheepishly, uncomfortable with the tension amongst the group, “No one has said anything about where we are going.”

 

“I don’t know, we just need to put enough distance between here and our vehicle initially” Lexa responded honestly with the shake of her head, wishing she had Indra or Gustus with her to help her with her decision making process at such a challenging time, “We’ll figure it out though.”

 

Lexa spent her time briefly packing hers and Clarke’s things inside their demountable as the blonde went to the hospital with Lincoln to gather as many supplies for Octavia as possible and to brief her on what was happening. Lexa knew it was going to be terribly uncomfortable to her to travel in the back of the truck but she also knew it was by far their best move and they would do everything they could possibly do to make it easier for the injured squad member.

 

“You okay in here?” Lexa heard Clarke’s voice behind her, causing her to turn around quickly as the blonde entered the demountable, “Everything ready to go?”

 

“We’re all packed,” Lexa nodded as she pulled down on her old, dirty baseball cap, “I guess it helps when we don’t have much. How’s Octavia?”

 

“She’s in a lot of pain but she’s okay, she’s got a brace for her leg at the very least and Lincoln is gathering enough antibiotics and pain killers to last her for a little while but I’m not sure it’s enough,” Clarke said with a sigh, concern etched on her face, “We don’t have a choice though, we can’t leave her here and if you say that there’s enough danger for us to need to leave then we have to listen.”

 

“He sent soldiers to the demountables this morning when I confronted him, he told me he had people outside and if I made the wrong move then he’d order them to hurt you all,” Lexa responded almost instantly as her eyes stayed locked on her girlfriend, “I don’t want to leave, I know that Octavia is in a world of pain, I know that no one here wants to move again after what happened at the Ark and I don’t want to move you from your home but we can’t stay here. I’m not doing this out of pride or anger; I’m doing this out of survival. If we stay, we die. I’m sorry.”

 

“I know,” Clarke replied, taking a step towards the Commander and taking her hand firmly in front of her, “I’m not sorry and you shouldn’t be either. This place hasn’t been the same since the vaccine and we all know it, we don’t have a choice. Besides, this place isn’t my home; it never was my home.”

 

“How do you figure that?” Lexa asked weakly, her head shaking slowly.

 

“My home is standing right in front of me and wherever you go, I go too and that’s my home,” Clarke responded confidently, seeing a small smile appear on Lexa’s face as she spoke her truth, “I know what you are taking upon your shoulders right now but you don’t have to. It’s you and me; that’s not going to change.”

 

\---

 

They had been driving all afternoon, into the late evening without any clear direction or destination; the sun had set long ago and the squad were tiring. They had left without any resistance, Tristan keeping his word and giving them a truck as well as minimal supplies to start their journey. Lexa felt more guilt than she thought possible as they left Fort Woods, knowing exactly what she was leaving behind; knowing she was leaving the civilians behind under Tristan but mostly because she was taking her squad out of a safe zone having no idea where they were headed and anything that happened from that point onwards was directly on her shoulders.

 

Raven took on the duty of driving the truck with Echo keeping her company and watching the road ahead in the front. Jasper and Monty were positioned at the back of the truck, looking through the gap of the cover that was going to protect them from the elements; making Lexa thankful they were able to take their usual truck that they took on their extraction runs. Lexa sat with Clarke and Bellamy who were directly next to Lincoln and of course where Octavia had been situated; the girl being made as comfortable as she possibly could have been in that situation. Octavia bravely had been completely supportive of the decision to leave; not listening to the option of her staying in Fort Woods with Lincoln if worse came to worse. Though she was brave, she was also in great amounts of pain; every bump in the road causing the former Ark member to reveal her pain even though she tried her very best to hide it. Lexa was worried about Octavia, knowing that she was at risk being outside of Fort Woods; not only did they have to deal with infected and bandits, they also had to deal with the possibility of her wounds becoming infected or her leg not having the chance to heal properly.

 

A loud, obnoxious voice in the back of her mind continued to interrupt her thoughts to remind her of the fact that they hadn’t come across any bandits on the way out from Fort Woods; knowing that the further away they moved from the military base, the further into bandit territory they moved into. They had come across plenty of infected, avoiding a few large groups by a few sharp turns. Lexa knew at some point their luck was going to run out, they were basically driving around in one massive target being a military truck; the Commander half sure that the reason why Tristan actually offered them a truck was because he knew they would be targeted on the outside.

The weather was starting to take a turn for the worst; the cool evening not providing them with any comfort so they decided to take shelter for the night. They had managed to clear out an old fast food restaurant, just behind a large shopping mall; Lexa was anxious to stay in one spot but knew her squad needed a break. They had considered entering the shopping mall, a suggestion that the Commander quickly shut down any thoughts of due to the complexities and dangers that she was sure would be inside. So instead, they had set up camp inside the old restaurant; disposing of a few infected that had been wandering around the store before setting up for the evening. They had parked the truck across the street in hopes that if they were spotted by any bandits, they would be distracted and move in the opposite direction to give them some time to leave.

 

Raven sat on watch by the front booth by the door with Jasper, while Lincoln made Octavia as comfortable as he possibly could at the very back of the store; leaving Lexa, Clarke, Monty, Bellamy and Echo sitting in a small group in the middle of the room.

 

“So where are we going to go? We have gas but we don’t have enough to waste,” Bellamy said in a hushed tone, glancing to his sister through the darkness before he continued, “Sooner rather than later we’re going to run out of antibiotics and pain killers for Octavia and we’re going to have to find some.”

 

“I know,” Lexa replied almost instantly, removing her cap from her head and running a rough hand over the top of her head, “I’m open to suggestions.”

 

“To be fair, this was your idea.” Monty said sheepishly with a small shrug.

 

“You could have stayed,” The brunette snapped quietly, her head looking in his direction, “If you wanted to stay in Fort Woods than you could have but you would have died. Tristan would have killed you.”

 

“We know that and it’s not the time to argue about where we are going,” Clarke interrupted the conversation with a weary voice, “We need to solve our problems before making more of them. We could always try and head further south and to the coast, see if there are any camps out that way or any signs of life.”

 

“Why go south though and go to the coast from there?” Bellamy asked with a shake of his head, “That’s where everyone would have tried to go after things got worse; I say we head further inland and see if we can find anything. A farm, a cottage, somewhere up in the mountains even; something small enough for us to defend but big enough for us to make some kind of a life around it.”

 

“What kind of a life can we possibly have with the way the world is now?” Lexa asked with a raised eyebrow, “No matter where we decide to go we’re going to struggle; life isn’t like it was before the infection broke out. Life doesn’t consist of staying in one place now, we’ve tried that twice now and it’s failed because we haven’t adapted yet.”

 

“We can’t just stay on the road, at least not right now,” Clarke said honestly, regret on her face as she reached out to take Lexa’s hand gently, “Until Octavia is healed we need to find somewhere that we can defend. Maybe Bellamy’s idea would work best for us; I do agree though that we can’t stay in one place for the rest of our lives.”

 

“Here’s an idea that no one has said; have we considered going back to The Ark and seeing if anyone is still around there?” Monty asked quietly, his voice unsure as the group looked around at each other, “We know that area like the back of our hand, there were heaps of places we could stay in around Bloomington and we might even find people.”

 

“Monty, the Ark has been gone for over almost 2 years; no one will be there and if they had survived then they would have left the area,” Clarke said almost painfully, her voice wavering slightly as her mind drifted to her old community, “From everything we have seen going through there, no one would have survived.”

 

“We’re not going back to Bloomington and we’re not going back to the Ark,” Bellamy replied gruffly, rubbing his face roughly as he sighed, “We need to decide where we are going to go and I think our best bet is somewhere towards Colorado.”

 

“Do we have enough supplies to get there? Do we have enough gas?” Clarke asked looking to Lexa who gave a brief shake of her head before her gaze moved back to Bellamy, “So where do we think we can get that from? Octavia is going to need more anti-biotics and pain killers; we’re going to need more food.”

 

“I know it’s risky but why don’t we try the mall?” Bellamy suggested lowly as he looked back to his sister and Lincoln, “We’re going to get pretty desperate and once we start moving, we’re not going to want to stop a lot. Surely there has to be something in there of use, surely we can find a pain killer or two in there.”

 

“We’re not setting foot in that place,” Lexa said firmly, her glare focussing on Bellamy, “I told you that we’re not setting foot in there, we might find something sure but we could also die too. That place would be overrun, we saw how many infected were around here on our way through and no doubt most of them came from inside.”

 

“I’m with the Commander on this one,” Echo said with a tired voice, “But we do need to find something somewhere. I saw a hospital a few miles backwards that looked pretty intact, that could be an option.”

 

“No.” The brunette responded with a shake of her head once more, “No, we’ve hit a hospital before and we almost died.”

 

“You’re not leaving us with many options,” Monty said honestly with a small shrug, “A hospital could be a good idea.”

 

“A hospital would have been the first thing that was hit, besides that; we have done a supply run into a hospital before and I refuse to do it again. The space is too large; it’s too dark and more of a risk than I’m willing to take right now with the shape we’re in,” Lexa defended fiercely, her cheek aching from the animation in her expression, “We’ll find another way.”

 

“Well if the bandits think we’re the monsters then why don’t we just behave like the reputation we apparently have? We’ve seen camps along the way, I know this isn’t the way we want to do this but we could always steal if we are forced to,” Echo offered with a simple shrug, “We steal, we don’t harm and then we leave. If we want to survive than we have to start considering this is how things are now.”

 

“There have to be houses, cabins, clinics, storage units that we could clear out safely and take whatever is left,” Clarke said as soon as Echo finished, feeling Lexa link their fingers together before she looked towards her girlfriend, “If we’re going to start raiding camps that people are living in when they are living peacefully then we may as well just go back to Fort Woods.”

 

Before anything else could be said, they heard a loud smash of glass out on the road. The group jumping to their feet immediately and rushed towards the front of the restaurant as Raven and Jasper stood in the booth they had been positioned in; all trying to peer through the darkness.

 

“It’s got to be the truck,” Raven said quickly as she jumped down from where she was standing to move the table they had placed in front of the door, “Someone’s trying to break into it.”

 

“Stay here,” Lexa demanded to Lincoln as she saw him stand next to Octavia who was now awake, “Stay with her.”

 

They heard a loud, rattling, ear popping explosion before they felt a wall of heat overcome them. Each and every single squad member being knocked off their feet almost immediately, Lexa feeling a haze in her brain and ringing in her ears as she blinked harshly, now looking directly at the ceiling above her. As her hearing returned slowly, she could hear the unmistakable sound of flames crackling outside; sitting up slowly to the sensation of broken glass under her body as her head pounded to see her squad were in the very same position as she currently was.

 

“Is everyone okay?” Lexa shouted as she looked around the room, looking to Clarke who was next to her with a few cuts on her face but seemingly okay as she nodded, “Is anyone hurt?”

 

“I’m fine.” She heard each and every one her of squad members call, her eyes catching Raven who was bleeding heavily from a cut over her eye with her teeth gritted as she applied pressure to the wound.

 

“Someone just blew up our truck,” Bellamy said in disbelief as she stood completely, grabbing his weapon and moving past Raven to open the door and rush outside before Lexa could say a word with Echo, Jasper, Monty and Raven following, “Bandits just blew up our truck.”

 

“We have to move,” Lexa said urgently, following the group with Clarke trailing behind her; pausing as she saw the carnage of pieces from their truck sitting on fire in the middle of the road and feeling as if the air had been sucked right out of her lungs, “They could come back, we don’t know where they just did that from and now every infected within miles of this place is headed right here.”

 

Bright headlights flashed down the very end of the street they had been standing in as they watched their truck burn, hearing the loud engine of a vehicle come to life. The Commander’s eyes squinted through the sudden light and felt her heart sink down into her stomach once more when she made a very important realisation.

 

“Take cover where you can!” Lexa called loudly before grabbing Clarke’s wrist and pulling her back towards the restaurant as the squad moved out into different positions to find cover wherever they could as instructed; the cars pulling up across from the restaurant and instantly opening fire on the immediate area.

 

The Commander found a spot inside one of the booths closest to the walls, while Clarke stayed positioned behind the table that had been blocking the door only moments ago. Lexa heard returned gun fire knowing that her squad was out there and knowing that she had to do what she could to help them survive. She looked outside the window and paused, she had figured it out only seconds before but now in plain sight she felt her soul shake down to her core. Bandits weren’t attacking them, bandits hadn’t been the ones to blow up their truck; it had been the military. It had been the military under no doubt what she knew was Tristan’s instruction.

 

She took aim and took out two soldiers standing outside the truck as they fired in a different direction; ducking as she felt what was left of the windows above her smash from fire. Lexa took a deep breath once more before returning to fire, noticing that her squad had already dropped a number of military personnel, leaving only a handful as they fought to survive before something caught her eye. Two infected walking in behind where their truck was now still burning heavily, holding her aim tightly as the soldier they were only feet away focussed his fire towards Clarke.

 

Lexa exhaled sharply as she dropped her aim and ducked back into cover, hearing the soldier scream loud enough to break through the gun fire; clenching her eyes tightly knowing that she could have prevented his death only to let him be attacked by two infected. The Commander lifted her head once more to be greeted with an infected coming towards her window quickly, a gunshot beside her the only thing that had saved her from being attacked as she looked to Clarke who had moved beside her with a focussed look on her face.

 

“Lexa we have to get out of here, there are infected here already…” Clarke’s words stopped and her eyes went wide, the brunette following her line of sight to see a group of faster moving infected passing the burning truck and heading straight towards the soldiers outside before Clarke called to her friends, “Get inside!”

 

“We’re going to have to move Octavia,” Lexa said loudly as she aimed her rifle at a soldier, picking him off as he aimed at a retreating Echo. The squad all moved back into the store relatively unharmed as infected began to move towards them, hearing gunshots of the soldiers continue while they fired on infected they were trying and failing to contain, “Block this door, we go out the door to the restrooms that lead out to the back of the mall.”

 

Lexa held her ground, firing of as many bullets as she could into infected while her squad rushed to the back of the restaurant, hearing Octavia’s pain once more as she was lifted by Lincoln behind her. Raven moved the table back into the doorway to try and stem the flow of infected that would enter the restaurant in just moments. Raven’s head was still bleeding but she was moving quickly, giving Lexa confidence that she had enough adrenalin running through her veins to carry her through. Lexa backed the squad up towards the restrooms as she heard the screaming of any remaining soldiers as they were ripped apart, the light from their still burning truck providing Lexa with an idea that there had been a large group of infected around the area for some time. It wasn’t a horde, there weren’t enough numbers to make it a horde but there were enough to destroy any group of people they came across very easily.

 

The squad moved backwards into the hall leading towards the restrooms quickly, Bellamy on point as Lincoln stayed with Octavia in the very middle of the squad. They rushed as fast as they could through the dark, defaced hall passed the restrooms; reaching the emergency exit at the very end in the hopes that they could somehow make a quick escape.

 

“It’s locked!” Bellamy exclaimed loudly as Lexa’s heart sank, knowing infected would be filling the same hall they were in very soon, “The exit is locked!”

 

“How is an emergency exit locked?!” Raven exclaimed in a panicked tone, “After all this time, no one has thought to unlock this damn door?”

 

“Is this a bad time to mention that I never got the vaccine?” Monty called loudly from the centre of the squad, “Oh god.”  


“What the hell, Monty?” Clarke called angrily as the first infected entered the hallway only to be put down immediately by Lexa, “Here they come!’

 

“What do we do?” Echo asked as more infected began to enter the hallway, their moans even scarier through the dark, “How the hell do we get out?”

 

“I’ve got it!” Jasper yelled over the noise, moving to the door to kneel next to it and pull something out of his pocket, “We’ll be out of here in a minute.”

 

“We’ll be dead in a minute,” Lexa exclaimed as she fired further shots towards the entrance of the hall; seeing the deadness in the eyes of the infected every time she fired a bullet as they reached their arms towards her, making her shudder as Echo and Clarke helped to put down the slow but now steady stream of infected, “We need that door! I’m low on ammo.”

 

“20 seconds!” Jasper called confidently, fumbling one of the small pieces of thin metal he was using, “Maybe 25 seconds.”

 

“Can you get the door open or not?!” Lincoln yelled angrily as he watched on helplessly with a pained Octavia in his arms.

 

“Got it!” Jasper exclaimed in celebration as he pushed the door open, as he stood to his feet, “Come on.”

 

Lexa felt Clarke’s hand pulling her backwards by her shirt as she continued to shoot down any infected that entered the small hallway, the entrance stacking up with rotting bodies. She held her aim and cut down one last infected before the door closed in front of her; Bellamy and Monty pushing it closed quickly.

 

“Did the military really just blow up our truck?” Echo asked in disbelief as she held her hands over her head, her rifle hanging from her shoulder, “What the hell just happened?”

 

“We have to keep moving, that door isn’t going to hold all of those infected,” Lexa said as she looked around the area, knowing that what had just happened would plague her and keep her from sleeping at night but for that moment there was still immediate danger and she had to get them out of it. Behind them stood a small but multilevel parking lot that looked like it had been under construction before the world went to hell and was never completed, “The parking lot, we go up.”

 

“That’s all well and good but once we are up there, what do we do?” Raven asked, holding her head, flinching at the sounds of infected hitting the door they had just closed behind themselves, “That’s too high to jump from.”

 

“There has to be scaffolding on the other side to get down. It’s the fastest way to get out of this area, there are too many infected coming this way to do anything else without a vehicle. We saw a group of them but that’s nothing compared to what is on its way as we speak. We get over the parking lot, we go past the mall and we move away from the roads and out of this area.”

 

“Let’s move.” Bellamy confirmed with a nod as he took point once more with the squad moving as one unit, Lexa staying towards the back of the group with Clarke by her side.

 

“Are you sure about this?” Clarke asked, holding her pistol out in front of her before glancing at her girlfriend with a worried expression.

 

“No, but we have to try.” Lexa replied simply, reaching out to squeeze Clarke’s shoulder gently as they moved before placing her hand back on her AR-15.

 

The squad rushed towards the parking lot, the brightness of the moon their only assistance as they continued at their pace. Lexa’s heart raced on approach, knowing it was her decision at that moment that would determine whether they lived or whether they perished. She had known she was living on borrowed time since the very beginning of the breakout so she was no stranger to the feeling that churned in her stomach violently; she just didn’t want to be the cause of death for the people she cared about.

 

“Slow down a little now, we go up to the top and then we find a way down on the other side” Lexa said calmly as they reached the ground entry of the parking lot, hearing the door burst open only a matter of feet away at the restaurant and moaning grow louder, “We have to be careful about this, watch each other’s backs. Protect Octavia and Monty at all costs right now.”

 

“I hope you’re right, Commander.” Echo spoke with a shaky voice as they continued to move

 

Darkness, it was all they could see as they entered the still under construction parking lot. If Lexa waved her hand in front of her face, she wasn’t confident she would be able to see it so it made her more than concerned that they weren’t going to be able to see anything until it was just inches away. It was cold and relatively silent; the only sounds they could hear were coming from across the road in the restaurant they had just been resting in.

 

The squad moved as just that, something that they had never really been able to do before; they moved as a cohesive unit through the parking lot. A few faster moving fresh infected charging after them through the door of the restaurant but were shot down as they approached. Infected were already in the parking lot, that wasn’t something that surprised Lexa but what did was how they were handled. There was no panic, no fear when they jogged through the darkness; the moon providing some light the further they progressed towards the top. They were one floor away from the pinnacle of the small parking lot, rushing up the ramp that would decide whether they would have a way out of the situation they were in or whether things were now worse and they were backed into a corner.

 

The Commander couldn’t hide the fear on her face, swallowing thickly as she thanked god that no one was looking at her at that time because she was sure they would be able to see right through her. Her heart pounded quickly, shooting yet another infected; realising she was going to be out of ammo within the next few minutes. The squad paused as they reached the top, scanning the immediate area to look for a way down to safety on the other side.

 

“I don’t see a thing,” Jasper called in a panic, “We’re screwed.”

 

“Oh my god.” Clarke said in a distant voice, catching Lexa’s attention immediately as her eyes followed the blondes’ looking towards the restaurant they were just in. The restaurant and their still on fire truck were being converged on by at least one hundred infected whose attention had been caught by the initial blast. Proving to Lexa that she had made the right decision to move out of there; but concerning her that if they didn’t find a way to get out of there quickly they would surely be dead, “Look at them all.”

 

“Over there!” Bellamy exclaimed, pointing to their right; seeing a set of small, scaffolding stairs that had been left from the original construction, a wave of unimaginable relief washed over the Commander as he spoke again, “That’s our way down!”

 

Without another word, they rushed towards the set of old stairs, Lexa looking around her squad briefly before taking a step off the top of the parking lot onto the scaffolding. She heard the pieces of steel groan underneath her feet, her breath catching for a second as she felt the unsteady stairs waver in the slightest of ways. Her eyes shot to Clarke immediately whose wide eyes told Lexa of how worried she was, even without having to say any words. She took a moment before placing her other foot slowly down on the scaffolding, her weight completely being placed on what should have been a temporary structure.

 

“We take this slowly, this will hold,” Lexa spoke quietly, looking back towards her feet; her hands shaking more than she would like to admit but she kept going knowing that it was either try and make it down the stairs or die when the infected made their way up to the top of the parking lot, “I’ll go down first and take point.”

 

She took her time with the approaching infected in mind; only seconds seemed like years to carefully make her way down to the relative safety of the ground. Once her feet were planted on solid ground once more, she signalled for the next person to make their way down steadily as she kept a watch for infected. As the squad began to make their way down, infected began to find their way up the parking lot, Bellamy reaching the bottom just as the first group of the walking dead found their way to the top.

 

“This way!” Lexa called as she looked above and behind her, rushing to move away from the parking lot that was soon going to be engulfed by infected, “We keep moving, we have to see if we can find a place to ride this out.”

 

They moved through the darkness away from the scaffolding, trying to put some distance between them and where they had just been, turning a corner to make their way down an alley behind a few buildings; searching to find an unlocked door. Lexa glanced back to Lincoln, seeing a look of worry on his face as an extremely brave Octavia looked to be in excruciating pain. She knew that she was responsible for every single bad thing that was happening that night, knowing that Octavia’s pain should have been her own burden to carry.

 

“Lexa!” Clarke’s voice broke her train of thought, turning her head once more to look down the alley; seeing a small huddle of infected at the very end of where they were moving towards.

 

“We can’t go backwards, we have to press forwards.” Lexa responded quickly, looking down at her rifle and slinging it over her shoulder before looking at the infected who had now spotted them but were thankfully only moving slowly, “I’m basically out.”

 

“Me too,” Echo responded, followed by Raven, Jasper, Monty, Bellamy, and Clarke; all signalling that their low supplies had now come to an end and they were going to be forced to put the infected down with their hands.

 

“Get your knives, we move down as a squad. No one breaks rank, we dispose of these ones and then we keep moving,” Lexa spoke confidently as she pulled her hunting knife from its sheath, watching her squad do the same.

 

As the squad moved to form a circle once more, Lincoln and Octavia in the middle; being protected by the group as they walked cautiously to approach the group of infected as they limped in their direction. A wave of shock flowed through the brunette’s body as they heard a series of loud, distinct pops in front of them; the approaching infected falling until all the squad could see through the relative darkness was a series of black and white bandana’s rushing towards them. Bandits.

 

They were screamed at to drop their weapons and get on their knees, the Commander instantly trying to think of a way to calm them or to prove that they weren’t military any longer; though the fact that they still had their uniforms on didn’t help their case at all.

 

“Get on your knees!” Another yelled as they moved to surround the squad quickly, their group large in numbers, “Do it now before we shoot every single one of you.”

 

“There is a wall of infected headed this way, if you don’t move too; you’re going to die straight after us,” Lexa reasoned as she placed her hands in front of her, “We’re not military anymore, we know what they were doing to civilians outside of Fort Woods so we left.”

 

“I’m about to blow your brains out if you don’t do what I say.” The Bandit responded loudly, “Put your weapons on the floor and on your knees.”

 

The Commander heard weapons being placed on the concrete behind her, her eyes locked on the man who had his gun now pointed directly into her face. She swallowed thickly with a look of resentment on her face; her heart beating out of her chest because she knew what she was about to do could either save them or it could condemn them all to die; even if she didn’t think they stood a chance in the first place.

 

“Okay.” Lexa said lowly, her voice cracking as she reached down to place her AR-15 on the ground. She shut her eyes tightly for a moment, exhaling sharply before she launched herself up; bringing her fist to the bandit’s face violently and moving behind him to hold his head back with her hunting knife resting directly on the skin of his neck. “You let us go or I take your leader down with us.”

 

“Keep your weapons up!” The man called defiantly as Lexa only tightened her grip, her chest heaving as she fought the urge to kill him then and there as she saw another aiming their weapon at the woman she loved.

 

“So help me god, I will cut a hole in his throat if you don’t drop your aim right now!” Lexa demanded with a raised voice, “We are not your enemy!”

 

“Pike don’t be so stupid and do what she says.” She heard an oddly familiar voice behind her, fast footsteps approaching in the echoing alleyway, “Drop your aim, we saw these people being fired upon by military. We saw them….”

 

The familiar voice paused as he reached the group, standing beside Lexa his eyes widened as he spotted her; only to widen further as his gaze shifted to the squad in front of her.

 

“Clarke?” He asked as he pulled the bandana from his face, Clarke’s eyes almost popping out of her skull as she saw who was in front of her, “Is that you?”

 

“Kane?!”

 

**Days since Vaccine: 264**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Destination : Unknown**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? 
> 
> I will update soon. Hope you're having a great week!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I am so sorry this has actually taken forever!!!! 307 kind of knocked my muse around a bit but I have also been away for work a little and have been super busy. I promise though the next chapter will not take this long. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone is well! Thanks for your comments on the last chapter :)

**Days since Vaccine: 264**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Destination : Unknown**

  
Lexa jolted awake as the back of her head hit against the inside of the truck harshly. The loud sound of an engine filled the air, wondering whether everything that had happened was indeed a dream or whether it was reality. She opened her eyes to find out immediately that she hadn’t been dreaming; nothing about what was happening was fictional or pretend. They were headed in the direction of a bandit camp; they had survived only because Marcus Kane had recognised Clarke and the rest of the former Ark members. Lexa’s cheek ached and her head throbbed as she brought a hand to her face to rub it harshly, as she looked around her she could see the bandits who only hours ago had almost killed them. She could see the man she now knew as Pike, staring at her intently; making it no secret that he wasn’t at all happy that former military members were now headed to their camp.

 

She held his gaze for a moment, clenching her jaw before looking away; unhappy about the very same situation but she didn’t have a choice. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen to them but Kane gave them his word that they would be safe, they had no mode of transport and they were very low on supplies; more importantly they had the facilities to look after Octavia. She wasn’t the only reluctant member of the squad though; Echo and Raven voicing their opinions about the fact that they had been betrayed before by the likes of Marcus Kane. It was sitting at the very front of Lexa’s mind, she would never forgive him for what had happened; but she had to recognise that if he could provide safety then she had to take it. If she could keep Clarke and the rest of her squad safe; then she would be obligated to do so.

 

Clarke was sleeping soundly next to Lexa, her arm looped with the brunette’s, with her head resting on her shoulder as the truck navigated the bumpy road. Out of everyone; Lexa wasn’t sure how the blonde could sleep knowing what they had just found out. She was happy that her girlfriend was sleeping, she could only imagine how tired Clarke would have been; but she knew the young woman beside her had a storm brewing inside of her and she knew that her mind would have been turning in every different direction possible.

 

\---

_Hours ago  
_

_  
“Put your guns down! Immediately!” Marcus Kane warned with wide eyes as he looked around the worse for wear squad, “Get them in the truck and let’s get out of here while we can.”_

_“We’re not bringing them with us, they’re military.” The man now known to the squad as Pike disagreed, his voice dripping with anger, “They’re the enemy.”_

_“They’re not the military anymore, they just fought against the military and they are my friends,” Marcus spoke firmly as his eyes fell to Lexa, her jaw stiffening at the eye contact, “Who I owe a debt to for a mistake I made a while ago.”_

_“Your personal debts have nothing to do with our cause; it serves no purpose to further the resistance.” Pike snapped instantly with a shake of his head, looking around the squad with fire in his eyes._

_“Clarke is your Chancellor’s daughter, the woman you promised to protect and serve. You know what she has been through and you know what this could mean for her.” Kane spoke confidently, the words leaving his mouth quickly, “We have to get them back to camp.”_

_“Wait…My mom is alive?” Clarke asked with a shaky voice, Lexa feeling a lump rise within her own throat with the knowledge that Abby Griffin was still alive; something that she knew would cause many mixed feelings for Clarke and the rest of the former Ark member, “What happened to The Ark?”_

_“We have to get you into the truck and get out of here, I can tell you everything on the way,” Marcus urged quickly as he nodded for his bandits to drop their aims, “Pick up your weapons and let’s go.”_

_“I can’t trust you,” Lexa said quickly, her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced to Clarke whose eyes were glued on Marcus Kane, “I don’t even think I need to give you reasoning for that.”_

_“What choice do you have?” Marcus asked with a shake of his head, “You leave with us or you’re going to die here. We have facilities to treat Octavia, we can help you.”_

_“Come on,” Bellamy said with a nod as he looked towards Lincoln, his expression hardened as he looked towards the ex-Ark leader, “We have no choice but to go.”_

_“He made a deal for our lives.” Echo responded angrily, her head shaking quickly, “You killed my friends.”_

_“And right now, he’s saving our lives. We have nothing!” Jasper said quickly as he took a step forwards._

_“I can’t take anything back, we did what we thought we had to and I am sorry for that but I can save your life right now if you come with us,” Marcus Kane urged, turning directly to Lexa as she eyed him carefully, “You need to make a decision and I don’t blame you for being reluctant but I’m telling you; I can promise you safety.”_

_“Your people were about to shoot us, who is to stop them when we go where ever we are going? You’re bandits,” Raven spoke up loudly, her voice gruff, “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”_

_“I’m not wasting any more time here with them, the longer we wait here the closer they all get,” Pike spoke with frustration, looking around to his group of bandits, “We’re rolling out.”_

_“You’re one of us Raven; most of you were part of the Ark. I wouldn’t mislead you like this if I didn’t think I could pull this off,” Marcus responded seriously, his attention turning back to Lexa once more, “You have no transport; the military were just attacking you so you must have done something to piss them off enough. Octavia needs medical care that we can provide, you need food and safety. That’s exactly what I am offering right now and I offer you protection when you come into camp.”_

_“We’re not one of you anymore, we are on our own,” Clarke spoke with a firm tone, shaking her head as she looked around her squad, “We don’t know who you people are, we used to know you Kane but that was a long time ago.”_

_“Clarke, your mother is alive. I can take you to her but only if you come with us now.” Marcus Kane said urgently, taking a step towards Clarke to stand directly in front of her._

_“We don’t have a choice,” Lexa said quickly with a deep sigh, “We stay and we die.”_

_“Are you sure about this?” Clarke asked, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion; emotions swirling through her expression._

_“No,” The Commander responded instantly and honestly, “But what choice do we have right now?”_

\---

 

“Are you hungry?” Kane asked as he held a canned tin of food out to Lexa, pulling her out of her recollection. She stared at him momentarily as her stomach rumbled, looking around to her squad who were either now eating slowly or sleeping before her focus fell to Clarke next to her as she slept soundly on her shoulder; knowing the blonde would be hungry when she woke.

 

“Thanks.” Lexa muttered reluctantly as she took the half eaten canned food from Kane’s grip to place it directly in front of her, the Commander’s eyes sinking down to her hands as they held the can steady whilst the drove along a bumpy road.

 

“You’re not going to eat?” Kane raised his eyebrow, leaning back against the side of the truck, his legs spreading out in front of him, “There’s plenty to go around, we just went on a supply run.”

 

“She needs it more.” The Commander grumbled, shaking her head slightly; her hand instinctively tightening around the blonde’s gently as she slept.

 

“I knew you’d be alive, I told Abby time and time again that while you and Clarke were together; she’d be alive,” Marcus said as a small smile broke through his tired expression, “You guys are in rough shape but you’ve done well to get through what you probably have.”

 

“What you knew doesn’t really concern me, I’m alive no thanks to anything you or your people have done, here and in the Ark,” Lexa responded instantly, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked towards Kane once more, “I’m still waiting to hear where the hell we are going and what is going on.”

 

“We just needed to let everyone rest and then I will tell you everything,” Marcus said with a nod, “But you have to tell me what happened and why you were being attacked by the military; more importantly, why you’re in military uniform.”

 

“I’ll tell you what you want to know as soon as we know what we want to know.” The Commander replied with a shrug.

 

“How did you survive? Who survived? What happened to The Ark?” Clarke’s raspy voice spoke, her head lifting from Lexa’s shoulder slowly; turning to hold the brunette’s gaze quickly before she focussed on Kane once more, “Why are you with these bandits? Why is my Mom with these bandits?”

 

“I understand you have a lot of questions and I’ll do my best to try and answer everything I can until you see her,” Kane responded, a small smile on his face as he looked towards Clarke, “We’ve radioed through and she knows you’re with us. Needless to say she’s anxious for your arrival at camp.”

 

“So instead of answering her questions, you just dodge them?” Lexa spoke quickly, her tone filled with irritation as she watched the calm Marcus Kane look around the group, “Clarke asked you questions and you said you would do your best to answer them, so start answering.”

 

“I don’t think you’re in a position to talk to him like that right now,” Pike snapped in turn, his eyes narrowing as he looked around at Lexa’s squad, “If it had been me leading this mission, you wouldn’t even have the ability to speak so you have a lot to thank Kane for.”

 

“When you know the history of this situation, then I might value your opinion.” The Commander retorted angrily with a shake of her head, feeling Clarke grip her hand tightly to try and settle her down.

 

“We are all on the same side here; we don’t need to act like this.” Marcus spoke, trying to calm the situation before it elevated even further.

 

“To be fair, we don’t know what side you’re on,” Raven interjected from beside Lexa, causing the Commander to look down the line of her squad members to see them all awake, including Octavia as she rested against Lincoln’s chest with a freshly bandaged leg, “So we don’t know how we should act right now.”

 

“We’re alive, aren’t we?” Monty asked quietly, nodding at Kane who gave him a small smile.

“Seeing as you are all awake now is probably the time then to elaborate as to why we’re here and what we’re doing, I want to let Abby be the one to fill you in completely.  I’ve heard you all use the term bandits for us and that’s not entirely accurate; if anything, I would call the military the bandits in this situation,” Kane began slowly, his eyes meeting each member of the squad’s before returning his gaze back to Clarke, “The Ark was never the same the day you all left, we struggled to deal with what we had done; sentencing the people who were only trying to help us to death by giving them to Dante’s camp. You have to understand, we believed it was the right thing to do for the Ark at the time, we believed it would solve our problems.”

 

“We’re not here for an apology,” Echo said coldly with a shake of her head, “And if you think that just saying sorry makes up for the fact that my friends were murdered, then you’re incredibly wrong.”

 

“I know nothing I could ever say could make up for what happened but we had to make the right choice for us, which isn’t what any of this is about,” Kane continued with a cautious tone, “Things were okay but you all left a hole in the camp that we just couldn’t fill. People were unhappy, supplies were dwindling, and we were losing people whenever we sent them out on supply runs. There were just too many infected and we didn’t have the resources to run the Ark like we wanted to but that day we encountered some military personnel who were passing through who were also low on supplies. They told us of a restructure that was going on, some kind of strong hold in Washington that was occurring and promised they could take us there if we could help them out.”

 

“What did they want from you?” Octavia asked, her voice pained as she tried to adjust herself to sit up further with Lincoln’s assistance  

 

“They just wanted a place to stay and recover for a few days, food and water to take with them once they left. We were happy to help them if they were promising us entry into their new safe zone, they were going to come back for us and that turned out to be the worst decision I have ever made, after the decision of course to trade your squad,” Kane spoke quietly, her eyes locking on Clarke as she watched him carefully, “They came back a week later, we let them into the gates and that’s when everything happened.”

 

“The military did that?” Raven asked slowly, her eyes darting between Kane and Pike, “We saw what happened to The Ark, we came back to see if anyone was alive and you’re telling us that the military did that? The Secretary was still in place then though, that was a long time ago.”

 

“They turned their guns on us, shooting down our guard first and anyone who was in the immediate area; they systematically began going from house to house just to slaughter whoever was left,” Kane spoke quietly as he looked to Clarke, “I was at your mother’s house at the time when we heard gunshots. We looked outside and saw the military rolling in, shooting whoever they could. A group of us tried to defend the Ark but we were no match so we did the only thing we could; we tried to leave.”

 

“Who survived?” Bellamy asked shaking his head, his voice shaky.

 

“Only a handful of us, now there’s only myself and Abby; only because we ran into Pike’s group who had just experienced the same thing.”

 

“Jaha?” Raven questioned quickly, earning a sad smile from Kane as he shook his head.

 

“He died on the way out of the Ark, he was shot in the back and zombies got to him before we could. Thelonious died trying to evacuate people from their houses so he’ll always be remembered as a hero,” Kane spoke with a kind confidence, a smile still on his lips but the joy never reaching as far as his eyes, “We fight for people like him now, we fight for everyone whom the military has senselessly slaughtered. That’s what we have been doing since that day, we soon found out that we certainly weren’t the only ones who this was happening too; we found people from other camps who had been disposed everywhere we went. We then decided to stop running; clearly something was happening in Washington for all of this to happen so we decided enough was enough and began to fight back for those who couldn’t fight. Our numbers are growing with every attack that the military is making and we’re now strong enough to take it to them, at the start we just wanted them to stop; now we know we have to be the ones to end it.”

 

“You’re calling Jaha a hero?” Lexa questioned outwardly, her eyes narrowing as she spoke “He displays one act of bravery and he dies a hero after everything he put my squad through?”

 

“Those actions we took were what we thought was best for our people at the time.” Kane repeated once more, hoping to try and convince Lexa of his honesty, “I wish I could change what we did but I can’t.”

 

“So my Mom is alive?” The blonde woman interjected as soon as Kane had finished talking, her eyes focussed on a point by her feet with her eyebrows furrowed, “She’s okay?”

 

“Abby is more than okay, Clarke. What we’ve started is a revolution and your mother is at the very helm of it.” Kane responded proudly, glancing back to Pike who gave a brief nod; clutching his gun to his chest tightly, “You’ll find out more all in time when we reach our camp but first we need to know what happened to you. We need to know exactly where you have been because when you come into camp wearing those uniforms, we need to know how to prevent people from shooting you on sight.”

 

“Comforting.” Raven sniggered sarcastically, “Infected want to eat us, the military want us dead and the bandits want us dead too.”

 

“We’re not bandits.” Pike snapped coldly, his eyes fixed on Raven before he turned his attention to Lexa, “You’re the one in charge here, you talk.”  

 

“When we left the Ark, we were low on supplies and we had nothing; we were heading to the military stronghold in Texas when we were intercepted by my friend who was…is an active member of the military in Washington D.C that I knew before the infection broke out,” Lexa began to try and explain, her heart rate increasing as she noticed the people surrounding them in the truck perk up at the words she was speaking, “She took us to the secretary of state who had survived and we began helping to build Fort Woods, where we had been since you picked us up.”

 

“You’ve been a part of it all?” Kane questioned, the colour from his face visibly draining in an instance as the rest of the bandits in the truck suddenly became very interesting in what was happening, “What did you do at Fort Woods? Were you there when the vaccine was developed?”

 

“We were one of the many rescue squads but from what we know we were one of the only rescue squads that actually did our jobs. Clarke was in medical for a while before the vaccine and a little bit after before it was established that she was of too high value to leave behind. So yes, we were there when the vaccine was produced.” Lexa said bravely with a nod, her voice firm as she spoke the truth, “We left because we found out what was happening and we were placed in danger when we opposed. If I could have put a stop to it then I would have but you saw what they sent for us after they left, Tristan wants us dead just as much as bandits do.”

 

“Tristan?” Pike raised an eyebrow, the grip on his gun tightening against his chest, “Who the hell is Tristan?”

 

“He is the leader of a coup that just happened in Fort Woods, all former leadership was disbanded by force and now he has taken over. From what we know now though, it sounds like our squad was sent out so much to keep us from finding any of this out.” Lexa said with a shake of her head, “I promise you, we had nothing to do with what’s happened to any of your camps or any other camp for that matter. I almost died trying to save a group of people who sent out a distress call only days ago.”

 

“Why should we believe you?” Pike asked, venom dripping through his angry tone, “Why the hell should we believe you when you are the people who started this whole thing in the first place? Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t shoot you dead right now.”

 

“We didn’t know any of this was going on and when we found out, we tried to oppose it.” Clarke answered almost instantly, “If we had known earlier, we would have tried to put a stop to it then too. They have more control over that compound than you might think.”

 

“So you’re just happy to stand by while innocent survivors are killed? Is it not bad enough that the dead are all trying to kill us but now you have allowed your own people to start killing the living too? Under your noses?” Pike retorted furiously, lifting his hand to raise his gun as Lexa reached for her AR-15 beside her.

 

 Lexa’s heart felt as if it was beating out of her chest as all actions began to feel as if they were moving in slow motion. She glanced quickly to the bandits surrounding them, the looks on their faces telling Lexa everything she needed to know; they were not any safer than they had been when the military were chasing after them. She saw a hand quickly being placed on Pike’s arm quickly as well as forcefully, Kane shaking his head quickly and preventing Pike from moving his arm any further.

 

“Pike, these people are clearly on our side; as an ex-marine you have to understand the predicament they are in.” Kane spoke calmy as he tried to talk his friend down, “We have every reason not to shoot this squad, and they are too useful to us amongst everything else.”

 

“Tell me how they are useful?”

 

“They are from Fort Woods, they know everything about the compound, how it runs and who runs it. They have been there long enough for them to become a huge asset to us, a key that we have been missing this whole time.” Kane said with a confident voice, a small smile tugging at his lips before he looked towards the squad once more, “You could help us win this whole thing and we can put a stop to this together. You have the knowledge and we have the numbers.”

 

“We fought someone else’s war before and that didn’t end well for us.” Lincoln spoke gruffly, placing himself into the conversation once more.

 

“If you help us, we can help you. We can take care of Octavia and we can make this god forsaken area a better place, we can stop what is happening to camps like the Ark.” Kane urged, leaning forward slightly as he spoke, “This could be the chance we have been waiting for.”

 

“We don’t need their help.” Pike protested, his voice full of frustration.

 

“We do need each other and I think Abby is going to see that,” Kane spoke hopefully, locking eyes with Clarke, “You have no idea how happy she is going to be to see you.”

 

\---

 

A few hours had passed since their conversation with Kane, Lexa still feeling extremely tense and on edge after what had occurred between Pike and the other bandits in the truck they were traveling with. Pike had moved to the other end of the large truck, his eyes firmly locked on Lexa as she looked directly back at him once again. Most people had gone back to sleep but her mind wouldn’t stop enough for her to be able to even close her eyes, having no real idea of what they were walking into but knowing that they were indeed caught in the middle. Her moral compass pointed in the direction of the bandits, knowing that if what they said they were doing was true then they could do a lot to help each other; but her survival instincts overruled any morality at this late stage of the apocalypse. She would always try and do the right thing, she would never harm or kill unless she had to but she also knew when it was time to flee to fight another day like they had to with Fort Woods; she knew their capabilities how well they were set up for combat. She had no idea how many people were in this so called revolution or what they had access to, she just knew that the situation they had somehow found themselves in was going to prove to be a danger to herself and her squad.

 

“I really shouldn’t ask you why you aren’t sleeping, huh?” Clarke spoke directly into her ear over the loud hum of the truck, her warm breath on Lexa’s skin causing her to visibly shiver.

 

“If I didn’t think I was going to get shot in my sleep as much as I do, then I might be able to sleep,” Lexa said turning to the blonde who looked at her seriously, “How are you doing though?”

 

“I don’t know, I guess I can tell you when I see my mom,” Clarke replied with a small shrug, “I can’t believe they survived and the last time I saw her was when we left, after she caused the murder of two people that you really cared about.”

 

“I don’t trust these people Clarke, I don’t even know if I trust Kane.”

 

“I know, believe me; I have my doubts too. Things are never as straightforward as they seem with my mom, even I can admit that but they sound like they are fighting for the right cause,” Clarke said quickly, placing her hand on Lexa’s knee and squeezing it gently, “Octavia needs the medical attention though and they can apparently give it to her. I just know that they will want something in return.”

 

“Honestly, if Octavia wasn’t injured and we were a smaller squad; I would probably just try to escape out of here. Pike clearly wants us dead and what’s to stop him from shooting us on the spot, or anyone for that matter when we arrive?” Lexa questioned, her eyes leaving Clarke’s momentarily to watch over the sleeping bandits before her gaze met the blonde’s once more, “I don’t trust them and I certainly don’t think we are by any means safe here.”                                                           

 

“I know but you can trust me and what I’m telling you is that Octavia needs this. They seem desperate enough to need us so we could be use to them, for as long as they think that then we are safe.” Clarke responded quickly, ducking her head to meet Lexa’s eyes and reaching to Lexa’s hand to interlace their fingers gently, “I’m just as nervous as you, I don’t know how to react and I don’t know how I’m going to when I see my mom. At least we are out of Fort Woods; at least we are safe from Tristan for now.”

 

“I want to go to Texas, Clarke,” Lexa spoke honestly, her eyes beaming honesty and desperation, “Anya would never, ever abandon me in this situation so I can’t abandon her. I have to know where she is, I have to know what happened and I need to know how I can rescue her.”

 

“You’re right, she would do the same so here’s what we’re going to do,” Clarke said quietly, leaning over to place her forehead on Lexa’s temple gently, “We’re going to go to wherever Kane is taking us and we’re going to hear what they’re going to tell us. We will wait until we know everyone is going to be taken care of and if you still want to go to Texas then you and I will go. If you want to go and find Anya then I am completely on board and willing to do so but we have to take care of the squad first.”

 

“You’d leave your mom again?”

 

“Lexa I would go wherever I had to for you if that’s what needed to happen,” Clarke said with a quiet sigh, “You have done so much for everyone so if you need to do this then that’s what we have to do for you.”

 

“We’re on approach!” They heard a voice call from the front of the truck, “Wake up, we’re home.”

 

Lexa glanced to her squad; quiet mumbles began to fill the truck as the bandits began to awaken. Kane shuffled to Lexa’s side, capturing the attention of the entire squad.

 

“As soon as we get there, we’re going to take you to Abby. You’re going to have to walk through camp though so you need to stay close to us, we’ll protect you from anyone who may try and attack you. I would suggest that you make no eye contact yet, these people are extremely restless around military personnel and rightfully so,” Kane briefed them quickly and quietly, “You’ll be staying in Abby’s quarters for now until we establish you as a part of our people but we’re going to have to take your weapons away just for when you enter.”

 

“How are we supposed to defend ourselves if a shot is taken at us?” Bellamy questioned with a shake of his head.

 

“You’re not; we’ll defend you if anything happens.”

 

“No bags over our heads?” Echo asked sarcastically.

 

“No, we’re happy for you to see everything that the military is up against.”

 

“Comforting,” Raven mumbled with an irritated tone.

 

“I urge you to listen to me, these people don’t know who you are, they don’t know why we have brought you with and they certainly don’t know that you have been fighting against your own people. They will see the military uniform and that’s it, we can’t protect you if you don’t let us,” Kane continued with a concerned voice, “I need you to trust me.”

 

As Kane finished speaking, the truck rolled to a stop as they heard a loud gate crunch closed behind them. Lexa felt Clarke squeeze her hand tightly as the bandits in the truck rose to their feet, the back of the truck opening up with a loud thud; Pike stopping directly in front of Lexa and her squad.

 

“We need your weapons,” Pike demanded shortly, holding out a bag in front of Lexa’s face, “It’s not up for discussion either, your weapons or your life.”

 

“When will we get them back?” Lexa asked as she stood from her position, looking Pike directly in the eyes.

 

“We will decide and let you know if we decide that you can have them back,” Pike grumbled, shaking the cloth bag in front of him once more, “Now, give me your weapons.”

 

Lexa sighed loudly as she picked up her assault rifle from the ground, looking at it momentarily before placing it in the bag. She then unclipped her pistol from its holster and did the very same before moving to take a step away from Pike only to have him grab her arm firmly.

 

“Your knife.” Pike hissed angrily, the grip on her forearm hurting the brunette Commander but she was unwilling to let any pain show.

 

“You mean the one I was going to cut your throat with?” Lexa questioned before doing as she was told, understanding the uniqueness of the situation and the danger the rest of her squad would be in should they not comply with Pike and the bandits, “Give up your weapons now, we’ll get them back.”

 

One by one the squad gave their weapons up, Bellamy taking Lincoln’s for him as they prepared Octavia to leave the truck they had spent the last few hours traveling inside.

 

“Stay in here for now, I’m going to prepare the infirmary for Octavia’s arrival and then I’ll take you directly to Abby,” Kane said quickly, looking to Clarke once he reached the end of his sentence, “She is going to be so happy to see you.”

 

“Okay.” Clarke said with a quick nod, “But Octavia needs to be treated first.”

 

“You have my word,” Kane nodded before jumping down from the back of the truck, the doors closing behind him, leaving the squad completely alone for the first time since the restaurant.

 

“So where do you think we are?” Echo asked breaking the silence almost immediately.

 

“I couldn’t see a thing on the way in,” Bellamy shook his head through the relatively dark truck, “I don’t know why we gave our weapons up.”

 

“It was the only way,” Lincoln spoke quickly, leaning down to kiss Octavia on the forehead, “Octavia needs treatment and this was the only way.”

 

“Do you really think your mom is the leader here?” Raven asked Clarke directly, shoving her hands in her pockets as the blonde took her time to reply.

 

“Why would Kane say otherwise?” Clarke asked with a simple shrug, feeling Lexa loop her arm around her waist gently, “She’s alive and she’s here, I’m just not sure what that means for me.”

 

“We just have to do what we’re told for now and hope it’s enough,” Lexa spoke in a hushed tone, looking around her squad slowly, “We will figure this out one step at a time but for now, we just have to stay alive.”

“Right now, that’s easier said than done.” Monty chimed in with a dark enthusiasm.

 

“We’ve done this all before; we have been through similar things all before. We stick together and that’s how we’ll survive.” Lexa replied quickly, tucking her cap down slightly as she spoke.

 

“What happens if they try and split us up like they did at The Ark?” Echo questioned almost the instant after Lexa spoke.

 

“We don’t let them, we are stronger together and if my mom is happy to see me then she will know to keep us all together,” Clarke spoke for Lexa, voicing her thoughts to the squad before continuing, “Octavia needs treatment but we don’t know how long we are going to stay. If we have to leave, then we have to leave. That’s the bottom line.”

 

“You’re not going to have to go anywhere,” Kane spoke as he opened up the doors of the truck, a gentle light hitting their eyes as the sun began to rise, “But I am going to need to take Octavia.”

 

“At the very least you have to let Lincoln go with.” Bellamy demanded firmly, only earning a reluctant shake of the head from Kane.

 

“I can’t, I only got Pike to agree to this if Octavia is transported by herself. Once you see Abby, you can go to Octavia but not any sooner.”

 

“No, who knows what in the hell you’re going to do to her.”  Lincoln said angrily, “We misplaced our trust in you once.”

 

“We are putting her on this stretcher so we can take her to the infirmary and I have to do it now,” Kane spoke urgently as he looked to Lexa for agreement or confirmation that he knew he would never receive from the Commander.

 

“For God’s sake, I’ll go,” Octavia groaned loudly as she attempted to move, hissing as pain ripped through her entire body, “If they can take care of me then we are in the right place. I trust Kane.”

 

“Octavia, you don’t have to.” Clarke said seriously, taking a few steps towards the injured woman as she stayed propped up on Lincoln’s chest.

 

“I don’t have a choice, I can’t just stay in the back of the truck and I sure as hell can’t be a hindrance on the road like I was.” Octavia grumbled through gritted teeth as she tried to fight the increasingly excruciating, throbbing pain, “This is my own stupid fault anyway.”

 

“We’re going to come and find you as soon as we see Abby,” Lexa conceded, looking to Kane who gave confirmation in the form of yet another brief nod before turning to two women who paused as soon as they saw the truck full of people in military uniforms; their expressions were tinged with shock but this quickly changed to display their anger towards the squad whom they had never even met before.

 

“We’re taking in military personnel?” The slim, blonde girl asked raising an eyebrow, turning to Kane with a shake of her head, “They should be dead, we don’t take prisoners.”

 

“Harper, they are not prisoners. They are our allies, our friends; I know them and I trust them. They have just left the military, they were trying to kill them too,” Kane tried to explain as briefly as possible; “I need you and Monroe to transfer her to the infirmary immediately. Pike will escort you both there so we have no trouble but we need to transfer Octavia now.”

 

“If you say so,” The shorter, brunette woman; who the squad could safely assume was Munroe said as she climbed into the truck only to quickly glance at the squad, “You guys picked an interesting place to come.”

 

“Clarke is Abby’s daughter; they have been apart since the Ark.” Kane explained further as Harper followed Monroe into the truck, placing the old medical stretcher next to Octavia on the floor so they could shift her.

 

“Wow, what an honour,” Monroe said sarcastically with a grimace as she looked at Octavia’s injury briefly, much to Lincoln’s dismay as he stayed beneath his girlfriend on the ground, “I hope you know what you are doing Kane because with the way things are going, you might not even get them through the parking lot.”

 

Lexa felt her heart drop as she heard Octavia try to suppress her scream of pain as she was shifted to the stretcher and moved towards the doors of the truck. Lincoln stood quickly, watching on helplessly as two women he didn’t even know prepared to take his girlfriend away, jumping down to the ground once more as they gently pulled the stretcher from the vehicle. Lexa could only imagine how Lincoln was feeling at that moment, her eyes drifting to Clarke quickly who had followed Octavia to the doors of the truck before the brunette disappeared into the light of day; her groans of agony following her as she was taken to the infirmary.  

 

There was a moment’s pause, almost a disbelief that one of their squad members had been carted off by themselves, into a camp that they knew nothing about with people they certainly didn’t trust.

 

“Before we go any further or talk to anyone, where are we?” Raven asked quietly, the entirety of the situation hitting the squad all at once, “What is this place?”

 

“Let me explain on the way,” Kane said taking a step back from the doors of the truck as he held his hand out for Clarke, “We need to get you transported now,”

 

Clarke glanced back to Lexa, who gave a reluctant nod and confirmation before jumping from the cab of the truck without Kane’s held as he dropped his hand to his side with a small smile as the rest of the squad followed until Lexa was the only one left. She took a deep breath to try and control her heart rate as it began to race as they were about to confront the unknown, the Commander recognising the complete confusion on the faces of her squad as they looked around.

 

She understood their confusion once her feet hit the ground and her eyes adjusted to the dim sunlight after being in complete darkness for a number of hours. As she looked around her, she could only see dozens of small tents set up in what looked to be an abandoned parking lot. The community was gated, recognising that they were outside of some kind of former government building; swallowing thickly as a number of people watched on with hardened expressions on their faces. The abandoned parking lot was old, grass was growing through the cracks of cement and old drums and trash cans were being used as fire pits, small puffs of smoke still streaming from a few into the blue sky of a new day. It was what Lexa only compare to what would be considered a homeless community back in the old world, knowing these people had nothing but the possessions in their tents and probably just the clothes on their back. Physically speaking, briefly from what she could evaluate, the people within the community were doing fine; they looked as if they were more than capable of defending themselves.  

 

“I want you to keep your heads down and I want you to keep walking until I tell you to stop,” Kane spoke quickly as he began to walk backwards, heading for the old yet decently maintained building; hearing isolated angry shouts from the crowd of people watching as the squad took small steps, being surrounded by a small number of guards as they moved.

 

“I feel really welcome.” Bellamy mumbled sarcastically as he looked around the occupied parking lot, “Your people look to be in decent shape, I assume considering they were all attacked by military?”

 

“We take care of our own, this is just one of many camps we have at the moment. We don’t stay in one place for long, we tend to move around the area but we’ve found this place to be small but defendable,” Kane explained as he held out his hands for people to try and calm them as they shouting increasingly continued to louden, “These people are here to help us, they are on our side.”

 

“These people want us dead.” Echo said bitterly, glaring directly back at anyone who dare shouted in her direction. 

 

“Everyone wants us dead.” Jasper retorted instantly as a rock was thrown in their direction, Lexa moving to catch up to her girlfriend, moving her arm to cover Clarke’s head protectively.

 

“What in the hell is this?” Lexa asked Kane angrily, flinching as more and more people emerged from their tents within the parking lot. The distance between the truck and the building wasn’t too far, it seemed like they were practically walking a marathon length track though with the amount of commotion that was beginning to escalate around them, “Where are we and what is this?”

 

“You’re in Indiana; we’ve established a stronghold around this area; right now this is where our strongest presence can be felt. For now, we’re outside of an old town hall we came across a few weeks ago,” Kane explained as they continued to take hurried steps towards the doors of the building, “Most of us are based in the abandoned parking lot in front, it was established as a quarantine zone in the very beginning but of course like everything else it didn’t stand a chance. The fence was just left up, we had to clear out a number of undead before it was safe and we lost some people but it was worth it. I promise, once these people know you are here to help and we get you out of these uniforms; you will be very safe in here.”

 

“And the military don’t attack you here?” Monty asked with a surprised tone as they finally reached the doors to the building, Kane pushing them open so the squad could follow while the small number of guards that surrounded them could stand by the entrance once it was closed.

 

“They can’t get to us, we have too many other camps in Indiana right now,” Kane said with a proud smile, “They know not to come here or they’ll be attacked. They won’t move enough resources here to fight us because they need to focus on themselves at Fort Woods as you would know. We move from sight to sight, we have camps set up everywhere within the state, some picking up the cause outside of Indiana after surviving and attack by the military.”

 

“And my mom is leading all of this?” Clarke raised an eyebrow as their voices echoed through the eerily empty and large building, “She is in control?”

 

“Your mother has done a great job bringing all of these people together and uniting all of us behind this cause,” Kane spoke with a brief nod, “Every camp has their first IC, we are linked via a radio network and have established a communications room within this building. It hasn’t been easy and we still have a lot of work to do but she is the right person in the right position.”

 

“So if the military can’t really get to you here, why move?” Lexa questioned quickly, reaching her hand down to interlace her fingers with Clarke, trying to comfort her girlfriend knowing how her mind would have been racing all the while trying to establish some kind of idea of what they had just walked into.

 

“Zombie activity in the area has been increasing over the past few months; the number of hordes that are sticking together are growing so we usually have to move,” Kane responded as he ran a hand through his hair, “And we don’t want to get complacent, we never know with the military and they are getting bolder by the day.”

 

“So you move all of these people?” Lincoln asked curiously with a furrowed brow.

 

“Believe me, this is a small camp compared to some of the other groups. I’m going to let Abby explain the rest to you; I’m going to take you up the stairs to level 4 where her office is. She is waiting for you but she wants to see Clarke first. You’ll be staying in here for a few nights until trust is established between you and the people here but I don’t want to keep anyone waiting any longer.” Kane spoke as he briefly looked the squad members in the eyes, clearly trying to spread his enthusiasm through the group as he looked at them with something in his eyes that Lexa hadn’t seen in a while; hope, “Any last questions before we go that can’t be answered later?”

 

“Let’s just get this done with.” Lexa said quickly, her hand squeezing Clarke’s gently as Kane turned away to begin walking before stopping in his tracks and turning back towards the squad with a smile.

 

“Oh, and welcome to the resistance.”

 

**Days since Vaccine: 264**

**Survivors: Lexa, Lincoln, Echo, Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Jasper and Monty**

**Location : Unknown Camp, Indiana.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? 
> 
> I promise to update soon!


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